Invading Dreams
by LouEthelip
Summary: First fanfic I ever wrote cowrote actually until she dropped out of sight. Didn't know how to do chapters back then. Read & Review. If you see my cowriter online, give her a thanks too.


Invading Dreams by Ayisha R. Sheikh & Louis J. Gagliano

Two figure's stood in the area that once was the throne room of Queen Beryl. The place where Beryl once ruled the negaverse with an iron hand it had now fallen into ruin and dishevel. The centerpiece of the negaverse empire was now destroyed like their leader. One man heavily built stood almost at attention in the light, wearing clothes long since tattered and torn making his rotund appearance more noticeable. The other figure was almost indescribable as he had decided to stay in the shadows of the room. Only a few locks of his blonde hair showed any form of an identity. Together they looked into the crystal, gazing at the final moments of the battle between Sailor Moon and their now deposed leader.  
They had already observed how the Sailor Scouts had discovered the negaverse's secret base and how one by one they had been destroyed by the Doom and Gloom Girls. Sailor Jupiter was the first to fall, then it was Sailor Mercury who was destroyed. While still crying over the loss of her two friends Sailor Moon didn't see the danger that was heading her way. Sensing a trap awaited the team's leader Sailor Venus pushed Sailor Moon away only to be caught in the trap herself. Finally it was Sailor Mars, without fear or hesitation took on the final two members of the entourage Queen Beryl sent to meet the scouts.

That left Sailor Moon alone. Only then did Beryl go after her directly. She cast a spell that transported the young girl into her throne chamber. Beryl sent Prince Darien to capture the imperial silver crystal and destroy Sailor Moon as well. He would not only fail but eventually the spell he was under would be broken. Angry at being shown up in her own shrine Beryl threw a spear like object of negative energy at the pair. While trying to save himself and his princess Prince Darien threw one of his roses at Beryl, shattering the spear and striking her in the chest, penetrating her black heart. Near death she sought out the mightiest power within the negaverse to help her save the day. Beryl was reborn with all the power the negaverse had to offer. She began to chuckle as Sailor Moon walked purposely towards her.

Perhaps Sailor Moon was unaware of the danger that laid ahead of her, perhaps the emotions of seeing her friends dying made her too angry to care about the danger, or maybe it was because after so many battles with the negaverse she had finally grown up to become what she had always been told was her destiny. Whatever the reason was, for once the leader of the Sailor Scouts walked alone without fear, ready to begin what both sensed would be the final battle.

"Better enjoy that laugh Beryl . It'll be the last one you ever have. You'll never rule the universe so long as I'm around. ", said Sailor Moon defiantly

"Let's get this over with then!",demanded Queen Beryl

"Let's do it.",agreed Sailor Moon unfazed by domineering posturing from the leader of the negaverse.

"You have no idea what you are up against.AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!",the Queen cackled.

Queen Beryl threw a powerful spell directly at the young girl who did nothing to avoid it. As the spell struck Sailor Moon, a stalagmite of ice began to form around the girl growing in height. Beryl assumed that Sailor Moon was trapped forever and that she had won. That turned out to be her final mistake.

Beryl's grin of triumph turned to disbelief as near the top of the stalagmite there was a explosion from which a pedestal was formed and standing on top of it was not the persona of Sailor Moon but of the moon princess Serena. Attired in the ballgown she last wore when Beryl and her minions had attacked the moon kingdom, she stood there calmly holding the imperial silver crystal in both hands. The princess's eyes were closed in contemplation of the task that laid ahead of her.

" I will defeat you Beryl. In the name of the moon.",she proclaimed

"You? Pitiful little Princess Serena?",Beryl said in mock fear.

For a moment the princess seemed distracted by something. She cocked her head as if trying to hear something.

"I hear you Luna. I am not afraid anymore.",the Princess stated as she began to raise the imperial silver crystal up over her head.

"You should be! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!",bellowed Queen Beryl as she started to cast her spell. Her arms stretched out above her head as bolts of negative energy lighting began to move back and forth between them.

" Cosmic Moon Power!",commanded Princess Serena.

" AAAAAAAAAAAA!",Beryl had finished casting her spell and all the new power that she had been given, the energy force of the negaverse was hurled toward the princess.

"Fight this evil.",finished the princess.

The dark lightning of the negaverse queen was met head on by the ripples of light that came out of the crystal. The two forces fought strongly against each other and for a moment there was a stalemate. Slowly though the dark forces of the queen began to push the light of the imperial silver crystal back. Though she seemed to be losing Princess Serena wasn't ready to surrender.

"Do not give up Serena, you can do this."

Whether she said it to give reinforcement to a waning confidence or as a declaration to Queen Beryl it had the desired effect. The advancement of the dark forces was being stopped and once again the forces dueled evenly.

Queen Beryl looked as angry as she could possibly become. This child was thwarting the best efforts she could muster. The girl had to be destroyed or all she had fought for would be for naught. Surely victory for the negaverse was her destiny.

Princess Serena had other thoughts about that.

"I won't let you win you witch. My friends are counting on me."

Tears began to well up in her eyes as she thought about her friends. She began to fall into an almost daydream state and could see them as though they were still alive. Each one was asking the princess to let them help her one more time. Though they were no longer with her physically their spirits still survived and offered to assist her. Tears began to fall down her cheeks as she realized that they were right. She couldn't fight this last battle alone anymore.

" I do need you my friends. Help me please.",the princess pleaded.

One by one their spirits began to touch the imperial silver crystal. First Mercury, then Mars on the princesses right side, then Jupiter and finally Venus did the same on the left. The departed Sailor Scouts called on the power of their individual sign. The princess finally commanded," Cosmic Moon Power...UNITE!"

All of the energy that the area held was pulled into the crystal including Queen Beryl's. In disbelief she yelled," This can't be. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

But for her it was over. All the energy was released from the imperial silver crystal in the form of a giant fireball heading straight towards Beryl. Unable to avoid contact, her body began to disintegrate as the fireball engulfed her. Queen Beryl had been destroyed and the crystal the two figures were looking at went black.

So that is how it happened. It's so hard to believe it was THAT girl who finally toppled Queen Beryl.", spoke the first figure.

" I suppose I should be surprised as well, but I'm not." replied the second figure.

The eyes of the first figure met the eye's of the second.

"So how long were you imprisoned my lord?", inquired the first figure.

"Not long Alexandrite but where I was sent even one day was an enternity of hell. I suppose part of me should be grateful that Sailor Moon won. When Beryl was destroyed the spell she had put me under was destroyed as well, allowing me to return to the negaverse from my desolate state. But that is over now and from the rubble of this room a new negaverse will be formed. Stronger, greater, and more powerful than Queen Beryl could have ever imagined, but first we must dispose of the Sailor Scouts and especially the one called Sailor Moon."

"Not an easy task to be sure. She has triumphed over some of our greatest warriors.",observed Alexandrite.

"That is because Queen Beryl made the same mistakes over and over again. Look at them. Look at them all. Sailor Moon, for a long time she didn't look like a warrior, or behave like one but now it is obvious that she is much stronger than she showed herself to be. How many times had she prevailed when all seemed lost. Sailor Mars and Jupiter, they not only look like warriors but behave the part. Sailor Venus, still too early to determine her abilities fully but obviously dangerous like the others. Sailor Mercury the thinking warrior who combines her fighting ability with an incredible mind. Finally their ally. The one called Tuxedo Mask. He is the unknown factor in our plans. Somehow he always knows when the Sailor Scouts are in jeopardy and comes to their aid. Queen Beryl tried to take them down with brute force even when they proved repeatedly that they could handle any assault."

The unnamed figure placed his hand in a fist and placed it under his chin in deep thought.

"So how CAN they be defeated? Tell me what I must do and I will do it my lord. ", asked Alexandrite.

"You have always been loyal to me Alexandrite that is why I'm putting you in charge of this great mission. We will get to them through their minds. If we were not able to defeat them on their grounds then we will put them in a place where we can control what happens. With your ability and a little help from an old friend, the Sailor Scouts will not stand a chance and then we can start our invasion of earth. We must move fast Alexandrite for time is not on our side. Already there are others who seek to do what we are attempting and become the new ruler of the negaverse. Though our numbers are not as large as the other false saviors, our talents exceed any of those splintered groups which is why we will succeed Before long all will bow to me, the new ruler of the negaverse!"

Both figures began to laugh evilly at the possibilities the future held for them.

"Please trust me once more.",said the voice just before Serena awoke with a start, her heart racing a million miles an hour. Her body covered with sweat even as she shivered from the cold night air. She looked wildly around her room, searching each corner for the chilling specter from her dreams. She had seen a figure that had been so horrifying, yet familiar in a way,this feeling terrified her. She was sure it was a dream, yet the feeling that she knew what "it" was haunted her as she cringed in her bed and fell back into a disturbed sleep.

The next day was difficult for Serena as she found it hard to stay awake. She kept nodding off as Miss Patricia Haruna was teaching. In spite of her efforts not to fall asleep she couldn't hold off as she slumbered if only for a moment. In that instant she sensed the same horror experienced during the night. She felt afraid and woke up to another and more immediate horror. Her teacher Miss Haruna was standing before Serena with her arms crossed over her blouse with red hot anger that exceeded even the redness of the teachers hair.

"Do you ever sleep at home Serena?",asked Miss Haruna coldly, with heavy sarcasm," If you spent as much time studying at home as you do sleeping in my class you'd be a straight A student. Well perhaps some detention will help you make up for your inability to stay awake today young lady.", the teacher stated.

The only thing poor Serena could do was accept the punishment and the sarcastic remarks of her fellow students during lunch.

As the school day ended Serena made her way to the detention room. There, she saw a teacher she had never met before. He was an elderly man, perhaps the age of Rei's grandfather. He was still a very tall and thin man but could not be described as frail in any way. His head covered with graying hair and a face showing the wrinkles of time, yet he didn't move with the slow movements she had known from other people his age. He looked at her with his brown eyes that gave a gentleness to his stature.

"You must be the student sent for detention today. Serena Tsukino right?"

"Yes sir.",she stated bowing to the elderly man

" I am Mr. Yagamo.", the old man swept his right arm to the side and proclaimed," Take a seat."

It started out to be a normal detention like so many times before for Serena but the longer she sat there the more the girl found herself uneasy with the elderly man. She couldn't determine why she had these feelings. He was very patient with her as she tried to understand the lessons he was teaching. He didn't seem to be upset when she made mistakes. He was kind and gentle, yet the longer the detention took the greater the fear grew. Serena found herself fighting an urge to run away from him as if she were in danger. The apprehension almost became unbearable when Mr. Yagamo announced that her detention was over and she could go home.

When she left the school the fear she had felt left too. Heading for home, she thought about the strange feeling of fear she had felt in the classroom. She couldn't understand it, he seemed like a nice old man, so why would she be afraid of him? Serena decided that she would think about it later as she spied Darien coming out of the arcade. She wasn't up to convincing him to remember their past relationship today. She tried to hide, but it was too late, he saw her.

"Hey meatball-head! I heard you got detention for sleeping in class. I KNOW you weren't studying, so what were you doing last night that you couldn't get to sleep?"

"It's none of your business! And how do YOU know I wasn't studying!"

"Because I can see your homework, and the big red F's on top of it! This is fun, but I got to go to the library-you know, the place that has lots and lots of books in it? Bye!"

As Darien walked away, Serena stuck her out her tongue in his direction. 

"Trying to catch flies?",said a familiar voice from behind

Serena spun around and saw Rei, Ami, Lita and Mina standing behind her. Rei continued,

"You know, you're never going to get anywhere if you continue to act like a big baby! Sticking your tongue out in public isn't going to get you a good reputation."

"Shut up Rei! I can do whatever I want!", Serena stuck her tongue out at her. 

"Both of you stop it! I am sick and tired of this fighting! We're Sailor Scouts. We have to work together as a team! Now, Serena, why did you fall asleep like that in class? You usually manage to hold out until study hall. Is there something wrong?" Ami asked.

"I kept having this nightmare last night about some weird creature that I couldn't see. It was so familiar...I couldn't stay asleep for very long after that."

"You know what," said Mina, "maybe you're just reliving some of the battles we had with either the negaverse or whoever these new enemies we've made."

"Maybe, but I don't know. I'm afraid to go to sleep tonight. What if it comes back?"

"Hey, you're in charge of your dreams. If I were you, I'd become a super-powered sailor scout, and waste that thing!" Lita said with a feral grin.

As the girls neared Serena's house, they could hear her mother calling her.

"Serena, come in here right now!"

"Bye guys."

"Bye Serena!"

"Bye!"

"Bye!"

"Bye!"

"Remember, dream up a big Uzi!",Lita quipped

Serena walked into the house to face 'The Wrathful Mother Who Had Probably Found The Math Test Hidden Under Her Bed.'

The day of torture continued for Serena as her mother confronted her about her poor grades, and the sleeping incident at school. Her mother's threat to ground Serena and cut off her allowance unless her grades quickly improved sent a shiver through her body. Out of the corner of her eye Serena could see her younger brother Sammi watching the entire incident from the top of the stairs and silently mocking her behind their mothers back. By the time her mother was finished, all Serena wanted to do was go to bed, pull the covers over her head and try to forget that this day ever happened.

The evening passed uneventfully. After dinner, with her mother's threat still fresh in her mind, Serena dutifully started on her homework. When told it was time for bed Serena was ready to sleep until she saw her bed. It stood there like it always had but this night it appeared to her as a menacing figure. While certain it was only in her mind the bed looked like it was daring her to approach it and sleep this night. The fear overcame all reason and though tired as she was Serena stayed up to continued her studying. Luna came through the door into her bedroom to check on her charge. Approaching the table she put her paws on the tray, and seeing that Serena was actually doing homework instead of her customary doodles of Tuxedo Mask exclaimed,

" All right, who are you? What have you done with the real Serena?"

" Huh?"

" The Serena I know normally avoids homework like the plague."

" You're always complaining that I don't take my schoolwork seriously and now that I am, you think something is wrong."

" IS there something wrong?",sensing something was upsetting the girl.

" Nothing is wrong.",Serena snapped.

Luna heaved a sigh and worked her way to Serena's side. Purring and rubbing against her, Luna tried to relax the young scout hoping it would ease her into revealing what was bothering her. The young girl began to feel guilty at the way she had just treated Luna.

"I'm sorry I got angry with you Luna. I didn't mean to take what happened to me today out on you.", apologized Serena.

"It's quite all right. After the day you've had I suppose a little anger is inevitable. Just go to bed and we'll forget it ever happened."

Serena put her homework away to start changing into her sleeping clothes when she asked,

"Luna, do you ever have bad dreams?"

"I dreamed about being chased by some giant sized dogs once."

"But have you ever had a dream so terrifying that you are afraid it might come back?"

"Serena, dreams are dreams. They can never hurt you. Now let's get you into bed before you have to go through another detention tomorrow."

Climbing into bed, she still found it difficult to sleep, but once again, Luna came to the rescue. She placed herself at Serena's right hand, and wasn't surprised as the young girl started stroking her soft black fur. The movement of her hand started to slow down until the hand simply rested on her as she went to sleep.

"Sleep well Serena," Luna whispered softly.

All around Serena, there was a foggy mist with no discernible feature. The first thing she recognized were screams of terror. As she carefully walked towards the noise, a figure collided into her. She struggled to get up, noticing that it was Lita who had ran into her. Like Serena, she was clad only in her sleeping apparel.

"Run Serena!", Lita cried out

Just then, a monster came through the fog. It was almost transparent with a multitude of arms hanging to the side. It almost resembled a large jellyfish, one that had ghostly legs arms, and a misshapen head. The arms shot out at the two scouts. Serena was able to duck them, but Lita wasn't so lucky. Sparks of electricity were seen engulfing Lita and her expression, along with her screams, showed her pain. Serena stood in panic not knowing what to do.

Then she remembered the words Lita said earlier in the day,

"Hey, you're in charge of your dreams. If I were you, I'd become a super-powered sailor scout, and waste that thing!"

Raising her fingers to the sky Serena commanded, "Moon Power!"

She waited for the transformation to take place, but this time it didn't happen. Again, the arms of the creature tried to strike, but barely missed.

"I couldn't transform either!.", Lita cried out," Serena, help me!"

Lita started to wilt in the clutches of the creature. Without thinking, Serena charged at the creature and leaped, grabbing its head. She placed her right arm under the creatures throat and started to choke it. Lita disappeared in a flash of light and the creature turned its arms on Serena.

Trying to grip her choke-hold harder, Serena felt the pain of the creatures tentacles rip into her forearm and felt its other multiple claw-like arms frantically fighting against her, draining her energy. She started to hear the gargled sounds of Serena...Serena...SE-RE-NA wake up!

As her eyes opened, she saw her arm around Luna's throat, where once she had a grip on a monster. Luna was fighting with her paws gasping for breath. Serena bolted upright in the bed, letting go of the cat and holding her heart while heavily panting, as if the battle she had just fought was for real. Sweat poured down her face, and she found herself shaking uncontrollably.

"Oh Luna, I'm sorry. I thought...",her voice trailed off not wanting to say what she had seen.

"Obviously you were having another nightmare." Luna replied. Then seeing the fear in her young eyes, she added "It's all right. It was just a dream. Go back to sleep."

Once again, Luna moved to Serena's side to give her comfort, when she was grabbed and held close to the young girls chest. She felt the hot tears hitting her fur and the violent shaking and trembling. Whatever Serena had seen had been horrific.

"Luna it wasn't a dream! It was too real. It had Lita and I-I couldn't transform! I couldn't even help her! I saw her disappear and I couldn't stop it!"

Luna listened to the words and began to worry. Were these dreams an indication of the turmoil Serena was going through with being Sailor Moon? She had difficulty in accepting her dual identity since she had discovered it and learning later on that she was also the moon princess hadn't helped. Luna had been pushing her to learning the skills she needed for battle. Now, perhaps the body was rebelling in its own way. Serena would never admit this openly but she had always been a little scared of what it meant to be Sailor Moon. All she ever wanted to be was a typical teenager, but with the discovery, that became impossible.

At the moment however the reasons were irrelevant. What was important was that the teenage girl was scared and holding onto Luna as if she were a lifeline to her sanity. She needed Luna's comfort and support and as always, she would be what Serena needed. For the rest of the night, Luna saw her sleep in short spurts, almost making an effort not to dream. As she slept, Luna began to wonder if this was the end of Sailor Moon.

The next morning, Serena walked slowly to school. Each step taking greater effort to accomplish. She felt drained, worn out. She could barely move. 

"Yaaaah!"

Serena kept on walking, as if she were in a trance, ignoring the loud scream in her ear.

"I said-Yaaaah! Hey, meatball-head, react! Hello?"

Darien stared in confusion at Serena's back, wondering what was wrong with her. He ran around and stopped right in front of her. She bumped into him, collapsing onto the sidewalk. Instead of getting up, she just lay there. Before he had a chance to help her up, he heard her friends calling her.

"Serena! Are you okay!" Rei shouted.

"What's wrong with her?" Darien asked.

"We don't know, but Lita was in the same shape this morning. She went home with her mother. Darien, can you help us carry her home?" Ami asked.

He bent down and picked the girl up. He noticed that her eyes were dilated, as if she were drugged. Her breath was coming in short gasps. He started becoming concerned for her well being.

"Maybe we should take her to the hospital instead." Darien suggested.

They all turned towards the city hospital. Mina waved the scouts back, and started to speak in a low voice.

"I don't like this-it's too coincidental. Only Lita and Serena are affected by this strange sleep thing, and they're both Sailor Scouts. Who could know our secret identities?"

As they went into the hospital, the Scouts noticed that Mina was wrong. The emergency room was full of people who were with the same malady as Serena, some not as bad, others worse. They filled out the paperwork and sat down to wait, Darien tenderly held on to Serena and wondered why this felt so familiar to him.

Serena was at the destroyed remains of the Moon Kingdom. There was a mist over the scene, giving it a spooky feeling. Serena's fear was growing. She wanted to get out of this dream, but she couldn't! She noticed a shape coming out of the shadows near a broken down pillar. A silent scream built up in her throat as a distorted Mr. Yagamo stepped out into her vision. Serena blinked, disoriented. Why was he in her dream? Unless...

"Princess Serena, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry. I didn't know that I was capable of such destruction! Please trust me once more!"

Serena's fear came back in leaps and bounds. This man had hurt her!

"Keep away from me Yagamo! Don't come near me!"

Serena ran through the fog, away from the voice that pleaded with her to stop, towards an unknown destination...

She continued to run even after she could no longer hear the voice of Mr. Yagamo. Still sensing that he was somewhere nearby therefore she didn't dare stop. Yet running in the fog presented it's own problems. Through the fog men, women and children were coming at her from all sides. Sounds of screaming and wailing surrounded her, and she wasn't sure where to go to avoid them. Ahead of her, coming out of the fog, she saw the moon kingdom once again, but in a different light. Where she once saw destruction, there was only beauty. On the grounds she saw a little girl with an adult man. The girl was dressed elegantly while the man was attired in worker's clothes with dirt on the knees of his jeans. Both had a metallic frizbee-like device in their hands.

Not near enough to overhear their conversation, she edged around the perimeter of the fog hoping to eavesdrop on them. The man threw his frizbee first and hit a metal pedestal about 10 yards away. When the little girl threw her frizbee, however, it began to hook left, missing the target completely. The man gathered the two frizbees and returned to the little girl, just as Serena was able to listen in.

"You're using too much of your arm. Strength has nothing to do with this. It's all in the wrist. Watch me."

The man stood still. With a little flick of his wrist, he threw the metal frizbee, causing it to hit it's target again. He nodded to the girl who tried to duplicate what she had just seen. The throw was a little wobbly, but it did hit the pedestal near it's base. The man clapped his hands together with the same excitement the little girl showed.

"See Princess, I said you could do it." the adult said. 

Serena gasped.

"No it couldn't be," she thought to herself, "If that's me, is that...?"

Before she could ask herself the question the little girl reached around to hug the man around his waist.

"Thank you Mr. Yagamo." said the child princess Serena," You're the best friend I've ever had."

"Just remember Princess, you can do anything you set your mind to but the first thing you have to do is believe you can do it otherwise you set yourself up to fail."

The teenage Sailor Moon watched in confusion. How could the man who she was currently watching, have ever betrayed her? The way her younger self was holding him, it was obvious that they were close at one time.

In a flash of light, the peaceful image shattered into a thousand shards of glass. Where the beauty of the moon kingdom was once, now only the ruins remained. Above the wreckage stood Alexandrite wearing a general's uniform of the negaverse. In the middle of the ruins was the monster she had seen earlier, only now it was much bigger with more tentacles with more people being squeezed in them.

"It is good to see you again...Princess.",spoke Alexandrite.

If it had been left up to Ami, Mina, and Rei, they would have stayed at the hospital with Serena to make sure she was well; but after Serena's mother rushed over to the hospital and went into the examination room, a truant officer came into the hospital to take them all back to school. Luckily, when they explained the situation none were given detention.

Class after class, the sailor scouts noticed how sparse the classrooms were, with almost a quarter of the classmates not having shown up. Even some of the most dependable teachers were absent that day. Those who did attend seemed to have trouble concentrating on the lessons. Tempers were short and little was needed to provoke an argument or fight. It was with much relief that the school day finally ended. The girls got together and ran to the hospital to check on Serena, only to learn that she had been released and sent home. As the three walked, they tried to determine exactly what they knew.

"So there is this monster that causes nightmares and drains the energy from people while they sleep." Rei started

"What I want to know is why Serena and Lita didn't try to transform." Mina added.

"Maybe they tried but it didn't work." pointed out Ami.

"Well, something better be done soon before we start seeing that monster too." suggested Mina.

Rei stopped and began thinking about what Mina had just said.

"Seeing the monster too. Hmmmmmmmm. Yes, that should work."

"What might work?" Ami asked.

"No time to explain," said Rei with determination. "Mina, go to Serena's house. When she wakes up, get as much information as you can about this monster. Talk to Luna too, she might have something for us. If she's asleep wait until she wakes up. Ami, do the same thing with Lita. Meet me at the temple at 9 p.m.. It's about time we find out who or what we are dealing with."

Alexandrite bowed low to the ground in front of his future king afraid of his wrath for what had happened. When Alexandrite had made his presence known to Serena the last thing he ever expected to happen was for her to disappear. Now he was afraid of the displeased reaction from his master. Surely his failure would not be acceptable even though there had been no indications of it verbally. The fact that he couldn't see his masters face with only the noise of his footsteps coming closer made the anxiety greater. Finally Alexandrite felt a hand on his shoulder. It wasn't done with a blow, or a slap, it was simply resting on his shoulder.

"Rise Alexandrite. You have not failed me.",he said.

With his knees still feeling weak Alexandrite shakingly got to his feet to face his master who continued.

" This was not an unexpected complication. Sometimes when these earthlings have nightmares, especially ones particularly traumatic it will shock them into waking up but not before expending massive amounts of energy and waking up still fatigued. Soon though will be the time to strike. We've already captured some of the energy from two of those accursed scouts. Now they are tired and will need to sleep soon. Then we will try again. Eventually they will become so tired that there will be no way they can wake up until they are properly rested. That is when we will destroy them. Have you found any of the other Sailor Scouts yet?"

"No my lord. It would appear that the others haven't reached the R.E.M. needed to cross over into the dream world."

"Keep an sharp eye out for them. All energy collections must be given a lower priority to the destruction of the Sailor Scouts. Speaking of energy, how goes the collection?"

"Not well my king. I've been needing to use some of the energy collected to keep the monster under our control. It keeps trying to fight my commands. Right now we are only at 10 percent of the energy needed to release the negaforce so we can cross into the earth realm for an invasion."

"Do whatever you must to keep the monster under control Alexandrite. Once we get rid of the Sailor Scouts we will have all the time in the world to invade earth."

Mina turned towards Serena's house as the rest of the scouts headed to their individual destinations. Serena's mother met her at the door with a smile just before she was about to knock.

"Mina! I'm glad you're here! Can you watch Serena for me while I run to the market to buy supplies for tonight's dinner?"

"Sure Mrs. Tsukino! I'll be glad to help!"

Mina headed towards Serena's room. She knocked on her door.

"Come in.",a voice said weakly.

"Hey there girlfriend!" Mina exclaimed as she stepped into the room. "How are you feeling?"

"All right, I guess." Serena answered as she listlessly stared out the window. Luna came up to Mina to rubbed herself against her feet.

"She is anything but all right. I'm worried about her. She doesn't eat, she doesn't sleep, all she does is stare out that window!"

Mina stepped closer to Serena. Her gaunt face turned in Mina's direction. Mina saw her friend's vacant stare and lethargic attitude which sent a shiver down her spine. Luna had a right to be worried. Serena looked like death warmed over.

"Serena, I need to know what you saw in your dream-"

"DREAM! I haven't had DREAMS! I've had nightmares! Can't you get that through your thick head!" Serena screamed hysterically as she violently trembled.

Mina grabbed her, holding her tight as she made soothing noises. Serena broke down to sob.

"I-I'm sorry. PL-please forgive me."

"It's ok, don't worry about it.",Mina cooed.

Mina decided to wait until Serena had calmed down before pressing for the information. The process was not easy as Mina could see the experiences were taking their toll on Serena. She could feel the shoulder of her school uniform getting dampened by the girls tears. Still she was willing to wait, to continued offering comfort until it appeared as if Serena could manage to control her emotions.

"Serena, I know this is hard for you to talk about, but we can't help you unless we know what you've seen in your dre-er, nightmares. All the sailor scouts want to help you, but we can't unless you give us some information."

Serena was quiet for a moment as she thought about what Mina had said.

"Even Rei? Does she want to help me?"

"Rei most of all."

"I-I've seen Mr. Yagamo, and he's some kind of monster. He hurt Lita-he tried to kill her! Bu-But he was good and kind to me once. He helped me when I was young, he was my friend. If he loved me, why did he want to hurt me?"

"Mr. Yagamo?"

"The detention teacher at school. He said he was sorry..."

"Sorry? He told you in detention he was sorry?"

"No-he told me in my dream-he told me he was sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Mina asked.

"Sorry for what he did."

Serena's voice slowed down as her eyes began to glaze over as if in a trance. Mina started becoming concerned.

"Let her rest like that Mina. It seems as if that's the only way she can sleep these days." Luna said.

"Ok, Luna. Do you have any idea what she's talking about? Do you remember a Mr. Yagamo?"

"The name does ring a bell. I think he was a gardener or something. As the Princess' guardian and mentor, I did not associate myself with the staff, so I don't know much about him. You might want to ask Artemis. He used to know everyone in and around the palace."

"Thanks Luna. Oh, Rei wanted me to tell you that we're supposed to meet at the temple tonight at 9. She says she's going to try and get to the bottom of this whole situation. Will you be able to come?"

"No, I want to stay with Serena. Tell Artemis to report back to me on what happens, all right?"

"Ok. Listen, I hear Mrs. Tsukino coming in. I'm going to head home to talk to Artemis before I go to Rei's. Let us know if Serena's condition changes."

"Good Luck."

Mina said good-bye to Serena's mother as she headed out the door. Her mind mulled over Serena's words as she walked home.

" Mr. Yagamo? Yes I remember him well Mina.", replied Artemis when the sailor scout inquired about them man Serena told her about as they walked to the temple.

" He took care of the grounds around the moon kingdom. Making sure the grass was green, all the flowers grew beautifully. He was very good at what he did. ", added Artemis.

" Serena said that Mr. Yagamo and her where friends when she was the moon princess."

" That would be putting it mildly. In fact it wouldn't be a stretch to say that Princess Serena was perhaps his only friend. He seemed to be incredibly uncomfortable around most people. He wouldn't even talk to the other staff unless it was absolutely necessary. He seemed to enjoy working in the gardens because he could be alone with his flowers. I don't know how they got to be friends but for a time they were inseparable. As I recall he didn't have any family so perhaps the princess became the equivalent to the daughter he never had. He would have done anything for her.

" So why is he coming into her dreams asking to be forgiven for having hurt her?" 

" I don't know. I can not imagine Mr. Yagamo doing anything to hurt her. This whole thing doesn't make any sense. Whatever Rei has in mind had better work. From what you've told me I don't know how much longer Serena can hold on. I mean the battles that she's fought in the past have been physical so she could at least react. How does she fight back when it's her own mind that's betraying her?"

"Hopefully Rei will have found a way. I don't know how much longer she can hold on either."

Rei and her grandfather were in the kitchen of the temple making food and drinks in preparation for Ami's and Mina's visit. The food was simple, rice cakes along with the temple's special herbal tea.

"There, that should be enough for the three of you. So how long do you expect your friends to be here?", the grandfather asked.

" I don't know. Could be a while.", responded Rei attempting to be nonchalant.

" If that's the case then I'll head to bed now. Don't make too much noise, I have to get up bright and early tomorrow."

Rei kissed her grandfather on the cheek after giving him a hug good night who responded in kind. Just as he was about to exit the kitchen she had a horrible thought. What if the monster came into his dreams tonight? Could he survive? All the more reason why her plan had to succeed.

As her grandfather started to exit he reminded her," Don't drink too much tea. You know how it gives you nightmares."

She smiled, nodding in agreement at her grandfather but in her mind she thought," I better have them tonight. Too many people are depending on this to work...especially Lita and Serena."

Ami was the first to arrive at the temple but Mina arrived soon after. Rei had waited outside the door to make sure the others didn't knock which would wake up her grandfather. The threesome entered the temple, making their way quietly to the room where Rei's began her legendary fire reading.

Rei kneeled in front of the fire, meditating as Mina and Ami kneeled behind her ready to bear witness to whatever the flames would tell them. Though Mina and Ami had been through many of these fire readings there was still a sense of awe that struck them every time they went through it. To see Rei feeding the flames. Each movement with a purpose until the time was right to receive its vision. Sometimes the vision would transpire instantly while for others a great deal of time would pass before any message would get through. The two behind Rei did not make a sound lest they would break her concentration.

"Oh great fire. I've come to seek your wisdom. There is an evil force that has come into the night, stealing the energy from people as they sleep. Show me the one who is doing this great evil on the count of 5...4...3...2...1.

The flames shot up almost to the rooftop in its fury. In its red and yellow light the figure they were seeking appeared. Ami and Mina recoiled in horror at the sight at first.

"Not exactly the boogieman is it.",whispered Mina to Ami.

"No it isn't, this is more dangerous because it's for real. If we're going to fight this we need to know what Serena and Lita told you two."replied Rei who had overheard Mina's comments.

Rei turned around to face the other girls while still on her knees. They spoke in hushed tones. Mina informed the others what Serena and Luna had told her especially the aspects concerning Mr. Yagamo. Artemis was also quick to add his knowledge of the former gardener from their days in the moon kingdom.

"Ami, you go to school with Serena. Have you seen him? Can you tell us anything about him?"

" I may have seen him at the school, perhaps even passed him in the halls but I don't recognize him from the name.", the brainiac of the Sailor Scouts lamented.

Rei gave a sigh of disappointed before turning to Ami who was able to get a more detailed report from Lita

"When she first saw the monster she thought it was just a dream so she treated it like one and ignore it. Then it hit her and she realized that whatever was going on it was for real. She tried to transform but wasn't able to. It grabbed her once and was sucking the energy out of her. She managed to fight out of the monsters grip and tried to run when she ran into Serena, literally according to her. Serena tried to transform as well but didn't fare any better. This monster got her and she could feel the energy being drained and the harder she fought the faster she felt tired. The last thing she remembers is Serena trying to fight the monster by herself.",concluded Ami presentation.

The others listened intently and mulled what they had just learned which shed only a little more light on the subject than they had already known.

"I know this sounds cold but doesn't it seems unusual that it was Lita who was caught by the monster and not Serena?",suggested Rei who looked at the others wondering if her statement would be taken for another catty character assassination on their leader. When she saw no open dispute of that fact she felt emboldened to continue.

" Let's face facts here. Lita is perhaps the best pure fighter among us. Although she's gotten better Serena is just not in her league. So how does she avoid this monster while Lita doesn't?"

"Uh Rei. You may not have noticed but Serena didn't exactly avoid this monster. She's in even worse shape than Lita so apparently after she disappeared the monster got her was well.",suggested Ami.

"But Rei's point is still valid Ami.",added Mina when an idea that had been in the back of her head came to the fore,"Artemis, you told me that Serena and Mr. Yagamo were very close when they lived in the moon kingdom. Is it just possible that assuming he is now the monster who is causing all this trouble, that there might be a part of him that remembers that and that somehow those memories are making it harder for him to attack her than perhaps somebody he wasn't close to?"

"I think you're making a pretty far reach here Mina. Serena may have her clutzy tendencies but she has also shown a lot of ability to avoid attacks when her life is in danger.",Artemis concluded.

"I don't think she was asking if it's a reach. She's asking if it is possible.",pressed Rei beginning to understand Mina's point of view.

"Anything is possible girls. You should know that better than anybody. All I'm saying is that you shouldn't get your hopes up. If your wrong, you'll find yourself in a short fight with you on the wrong end of it.",Artemis stated.

Rei stood up, and turned around so her back faced the other Sailor Scouts. Crossing her arms over each other she became silent as her mind whirled with thoughts. The others waited for Rei to make some movement that would give them an indication of what she had in mind.

"Serena and Lita were unable to transform. Would you agree that if we found ourselves in the same situation that we couldn't transform as well?",inquired Rei to Ami.

"It would appear that way.",concurred Ami.

Rei turned around putting her right hand almost into a fist with only her forefinger sticking up ready to make a point.

"But what if we were already transformed when we arrived there? Would we stay transformed?",she asked hopefully.

"I don't know. I-I suppose so.",Ami concluded.

"So if we were already transformed when we arrived would our powers work as well? After all according to Ami, Lita couldn't transform so her powers and Serena too were affected. How much will our powers be affected if we went in already transformed.",Rei beamed as her plan was starting to become evident to the remaining Sailor Scouts.

Ami thought hard on the question. She wanted to give an positive answer but couldn't give that answer with certainty and in this case she had to be totally honest with her comrades.

"I don't know.",she finally admitted.

For a moment there was an uneasy silence among them. Each one trying to focus on what they were about to do. Rei and Mina's faces gave no indication of anything bothering them but Ami who was not so stone face looked very much concerned. She tried not to let it show but Artemis brought up the subject.

"Ami, are you all right?"

She couldn't look at her feline friend but that didn't stop her from speaking out about what she felt.

" I keep thinking back to our last battle with Beryl. How we transported ourselves to another dimension to fight her and how we...",she stopped for a moment, looking at her companions faces before restarting with a more honest approach," how I wound up getting killed by those Doom and Gloom girls."

Ami wanted to continue with her train of thought but couldn't find the words to express them.

"Yeah, I see the similarities too Ami. I just thought it was me who felt that way.",offered Rei in comfort.

"Well I guess it's unanimous.",concluded Mina.

The fear they had all felt was temporarily replaced by the warmth of the friendship they had for each other. It was this closeness that made the sailor scouts such a formidable opponent.

"All right everyone," Rei said. "I think it's time. I think we should transform before we start. We don't want the same thing happening to us that happened to Lita and Serena."

Keeping in mind Rei's grandfather's need for quiet, the girls transformed quietly. Rei added a sleeping potion to the tea and handed the cups around. With a grim smile, she held up her cup to Mina and Ami.

"Bottoms up.",toasted Rei.

"Cheers.",added Mina

"See you two on the other side.",summed up Ami

They quickly drank down the now bitter tea. So that he could join them in the dream world, Mina gave Artemis some tea as well. They laid down on the floor and grasped each others hands until a few minutes later, they were all asleep.

Luna stood watch over her young scout feeling totally helpless. It was an emotion Luna hated to experience. She had always prided herself in knowing what must be done in any crisis yet this time there was no answers that she knew of. She could only watch as Serena tossed and turned in her bed, occasionally whimpering and groaning. Luna knew that the difficulties of the last few nights would continue and there was nothing Luna could do about it. She looked at the clock and noticed it was almost 9:30, the meeting Mina had mentioned must have started by now. Part of her wanted to head over but she knew where her duty was. Even if she could do nothing Luna had to be by Serena's side.

Luna's head turned as she heard a noise. She saw the door to the bedroom opened up to reveal Serena's parents quietly entering the room to check on their daughter. The mother sat on the bed and stroked Serena's hair. Luna wished she could speak to the parents like she often had with their daughter could only offer a concerned meow. The mother looked at Luna and gave the cat a reassuring rub behind it's ears.

"Your concerned about Serena too aren't you Luna. You know she's not well.",said Mrs. Tsukino.

"Meow.", Luna forced herself to say.

"I'm sure everything will be fine.",added Mr. Tsukino.

Luna knew that Mr. Tsukino statement was at best a kind lie. As the father he needed to be strong for the entire family. From outward appearances if there was any fear he held it in well. Mrs. Tsukino however wasn't so expressionless. The apprehension was obvious in her eyes. She held Serena's left hand in both of hers looking for some sign of hope.

Serena's motions started growing more frantic. Her right hand came across to strike her mother forearm. As her mother let go the sheets could be seen moving where her legs were kicking, Her arms thrashed about like she was fighting something. Her mouth started to move like she wanted to say something but at first she was unable. When her voice did arrive it sent a chill through everyone in the room.

" Help.", she said very softly.

" Let me out.", this time more forcefully.

"HELP ME!", coming out in a full scream.

The mother grabbed Serena by the shoulders and started shaking her in a up and down motion.

"Wake up Serena. You're have another nightmare.", the mother said trying to get through the sleep filled mind of her daughter.

Serena's motions were even more pronounced. Luna jumped off the bed just before one arm nearly struck her as well.

"Serena! Wake up!",the mother started to panic. Although traditionally a heavy sleeper Serena should have been able to wake up by now especially with the shaking her mother was providing to aid in the process.

"Luna! Mom! Dad! Somebody!", Serena screamed unable to comply with her mothers instruction.

Serena's arm whipped around striking her alarm clock which gave only a slight 'ding' as it fell of the dresser onto the floor. The mother called out to her husband in panic.

"Get the doctor!"

"Rei! Ami! Artemis! Where are you!"

Mina's frightened voice came out of the dark fog. A second later, she felt a cold hand on her shoulder. She quickly turned around, knocking the hand off of her and automatically going into a fighting stance.

"V-Venus?"

"Serena! What are you doing here!"

"I-I don't know. I think I fell asleep again. I've been so scared"  
Serena clutched Venus's arm. Her hands were ice-cold. Sailor Venus knew that she had to put on a brave face for the younger girl's sake, no matter how scared she herself was.

"We're here to help you Serena. Sailor Mars, Mercury and Artemis are all around here somewhere. We'll find them and then we'll find that monster. Don't worry. You're not alone anymore. Let's go that way, and maybe we can find the others."

The two girls turned and walked into the darkness.

A long groan echoed throughout the fog. Sailor Mars picked herself up from the ground. She saw Sailor Mercury's foot coming out of the mist in front of her. She knelt down and shook her.

"Mercury, are you okay?"

"Yes. I'm on the ground because I thought it would be easier to find the rest of you if I could see where I was stepping. I can't find Venus or Artemis."

"They can't be too far," Rei said. "Unwrap the ribbons on your back Mercury, and tie us together. That way we can keep together."

Sailor Mercury did as he asked. They then spread out, looking for the others.

A knock on the front door was answered at the Tsukino household

"Thank you for coming so quickly.",Mrs. Tsukino sighed as the doctor came in.

"I rushed right over when I got the news. How is she doing?",the doctor asked as she took off her coat.

"She's calmer now but she still can't wake up."

The doctor was led to Serena's room. Inside the father sat on the chair next to her bed with both of his hands clasped in prayer. Turning his head upon hearing the door open a look of relief swept his face.

"Oh good. You're here."

"So tell me exactly what happened."

The Tsukino's explained the fighting fit Serena had put up earlier. The doctor listened intently trying to make sense of the situation. When the parents were finished the doctor proceeded to exam Serena for herself. First taking out her stethoscope she listened to the heart followed by the doctor lifting up Serena's arm to check the pulse. Pulling a light pen out of her pocket she shined it into the girls eyes. During the exam Serena occasionally spoke in murmuring tones.

"Rei...Ami."

The doctor finished the exam with a test of her reflexes and only then drew a sigh.

"Do you know what she's talking about?",inquired the doctor.

"Those are her friends. Does that mean something?",asked the mother.

"Not sure. Mr. and Mrs. Tsukino, I'd like your permission to take your daughter to the hospital."

"What is it doctor? Is it serious?",the pair replied almost in unison.

"Very serious. Although she appears to be sleeping, your daughter's vital signs are those of a person in full cardiovascular activity. Sleep is important to us because the body needs to relax, to shut itself off for a period of time. Her body is not resting right now. Whatever she is dreaming about is as real to her as the conversation we're having right now and she's reacting to it accordingly. The human body can only sustain this sort of activity level for only so long before a body becomes exhausted and shuts down."

"Will she be all right?",the mother prodded.

" I'll do whatever I can Mrs. Tsukino but I really think she needs the care we can provide at the hospital. I can only do so much for her here. At the hospital there are experts who can better help your daughter. Please, may I have your permission to take her to the hospital."

The parents looked at each other. Their little girl needed help. Without communicating the both knew what needed to be done. They looked at the doctor and nodded their heads in collective approval to the doctor who grabbed a cellular phone from her medical kit and began dialing.

Luna watched and tried to think of a way to stop this doctor from taking Serena away. She knew the doctor meant well but it wouldn't be science that would save her.

"Tokyo General? This is..."

"Ouch!"

"Mars, is that you?" asked Venus.

"Yes! Now get your stupid foot off of my hand!"

Sailor Venus stepped back, as the other scout stood up.

"You've got Serena with you? Where did you find her?" asked Sailor Mercury.

"I didn't. She found me." replied Venus.

"Well, since we're all together, let's go and fight this thing!" shouted Rei.

"All here? Aren't you forgetting somebody?.",a deep voice said

Everyone turned around as they heard the familiar voice. Lita was standing there, holding her transformation pen. To her side Artemis stood ready for whatever was going to happen.

"So, trying to run off without me, huh?",Lita quipped

They all ran to their friend, and gave her a hug. For a second, there was a confusing flurry of questions. 

"Everyone SHUT UP! Lita, are you okay? Can you fight?" asked Sailor Mars.

"Well, I've been in better shape, but I'm feeling stronger now. I just had to find you guys! I ran into Artemis who told me what you were up to and thought might need my help. Besides I think I know why I couldn't transform. That thing wouldn't let me. It was holding back my power. Now that I'm far away from that thing I'm hoping that I can change after all. I was just about to test out my theory when I heard you guys. Serena, you try transforming too. We're going to need all the help we can get."

"Jupiter Power!"

"Moon Power!"

For a second, Serena's brooch and Lita's pen shimmered. Then, in a burst of light, they began to transform.

"We did it!" Sailor Moon shouted, jumping up and down. With the presence of all of her friends, she seemed a lot happier and not as scared. The rest of the scouts gave each other smiles, happy that their friend was starting to act like her old self.

"Hey! Look over there!" Sailor Mercury pointed to a faint light in the distance. "I think that's where we need to go."

"Then let's do it." Sailor Jupiter said with a feral grin. "I owe this creep a beating."

The girls turned and walked towards the unknown.

The sailor scouts came out of the fog to the glory of the moon kingdom, in the days before the war with the negaverse that changed their lives forever. Though they had seen it before when they met Queen Serenity the sight was still impressive. The girls could see men and women working at a feverish pace in and around the castle, preparing it for an important function. They walked down one of the hallways prepared for anything when Serena stopped and gasped. It was Artemis who spoke first.

"It's Mr. Yagamo, and he's at your room. What is he doing there?"

They saw Mr. Yagamo knock on the door then enter the room. As they approached voices could be overheard. Two voices talking on the other side. One voice was masculine so they assumed it was the gardener. The other definitely female

"You sent for me princess? I was told it was urgent."

The girls moved cautiously towards the door but when Sailor Mars grabbed the doorknob her hand passed right through it.

"It would appear that nothing we see here is real so we should be able to walk right through, like we're ghosts.", whispered Sailor Mercury.

The five walked through the door where they saw Princess Serena touching the buds of red roses that had been placed inside a vase. Mr. Yagamo was on the other side of the vase admiring the princess who was admiring the roses.

" I needed to talk with you about something important and didn't know who else I could turn to for advice.", The princess said but then paused for a moment before continuing," but first you must promise me that you won't ever tell anybody what is said here."

"Your secrets have always been safe with me princess. Now and always"

The princess looked up and gave an embarrassed smile.

"Mr. Yagamo, how do you know when you're really in love? I need to know because... there's this boy I've met... and I like him a lot and I think he likes me..."

"This boy. He wouldn't happen to be Prince Darien from earth?"

The princess looked at him with surprise. Now it was the elderly man's turn to give an embarrassed smile.

" I've seen the two of you together. I sensed that you were falling in love with him. He seems like a nice enough lad. If you are asking me if I know how he feels about you I don't have a clue and he hasn't confided in me any of his thoughts. At best I could give you a pretty good guess what my hunches are from what I've seen but only he'll be able to answer your question for certain."

" And what if he doesn't love me?", the princess asked, with the uncertainty of a typical teenager in her voice.

" Then he is a fool and not worthy of you in the first place.",said the man with all seriousness.

The elderly man took one of the roses out of the vase and held it out to show the princess.

"Let me explain it to you this way. Relationships, any relationship between two people are like this rose. This rose has to be taken care of while it's growing. It needs water to help it grow and someone to watch out for the weeds that can choke it off. If all goes well it will give off a bloom like this. Your relationship with Prince Darien will be same way. You must water it with the love you have for him and visa versa. You must avoid the weeds of distrust that could kill the relationship before it could fully bloom. Right now you've planted the seed within yourself and only time can tell if it will bloom."

The two exchanged looks indicating that in his own way Mr. Yagamo had gotten through to the teenaged princess with his parable.

"Have you told him how you feel?"

Princess Serena looked down shaking her head negatively before asking," Should I?"

"It wouldn't hurt to tell him. If he's the man I think him to be he'll appreciate your honesty and openness and will respond in kind. Certainly whatever happens it will help put away those fears you're carrying."

Mr. Yagamo put his arm around the shoulder of the young princess to offer his support and a smile. She returned it with an embrace.

"It's a shame you never got married Mr. Yagamo. You would have made a great father.",Princess Serena observed.

The princess leaned her head contentedly against Mr. Yagamo's chest so she never saw his reaction. The Sailor Scouts however did see the look in his face as if this fact pained him.

" Yeah. Well if I ever did become a father I hope that I'd have a daughter as wonderful as you are but some things are just never meant to be I guess.", he sighed.

The scene was halted by a knock heard at the door.

"Come in.", said the princess.

A man came in wearing the military uniform of the moon kingdom. From his insignia he appeared to be an officer of some type but she had never seen him before. Upon seeing Mr. Yagamo the officer shouted out of the door,"He's here! Arrest Him!"

Four more men charged into the room and subdued the elderly man who was too dumbfounded to even respond.

"What is the meaning of this?",Mr. Yagamo demanded.

"Shut up!",said the officer," Princess are you all right?"

The question seemed unusual to her," Why would I not be all right? What is going on? Who are you?"

" Good, that means we got here in time. I am Lt. Alexander. Yoshi Yagamo, you are hereby under arrest for treason and for being a spy for the negaverse!"

Sailor Moon's reaction was identical to the princesses. She put her hand over her mouth as she gasped in disbelief. What she was seeing couldn't have been happening.

" Mr. Yagamo was part of the negaverse?", said Artemis not quite able to believe it himself.

" We've suspected somebody has been sending messages to the negaverse for quite some time, but until recently we had no idea who. Recently we uncovered a message that you were to be kidnapped and held for ransom. You were to be returned only if Queen Serenity surrendered the moon kingdom to the negaverse.", Informed Lt. Alexander.

" That explains the weird feelings I've had about him.",supplied Sailor Moon softly.

" That's crazy!", shouted Mr. Yagamo to the officer. It was followed with a plea to Princess Serenity.

" Princess, you know I would never do anything to hurt you. You've got to believe that"

In spite of being urged by the officer not to approach the prisoner Princess Serenity walked cautiously to Mr. Yagamo. Her world having just been thrown into a quagmire she needed answers. She had to ask them to the one who she had always been willing to trust.

"Mr. Yagamo, you're not really from the negaverse, are you?"

The elderly man closed his eyes and lowered his head unable to look at the princess, but he could hear her soft sobs as she spoke.

" Please, you've never lied to me before. Tell me you're not one of them and I'll believe you."

A tear came to the eye of Mr. Yagamo as he raised his head up again. It was only by sheer force of will that he once again looked into her eyes.

"You're right princess. I've never lied to you before and I won't start now."

Then came the hardest words he would ever say and the hardest words the princess, Sailor Moon and the other Sailor Scouts would ever have to hear

" I am... from the negaverse."

"NO!",screamed Princess Serenity breaking down to tears, as Sailor Moon closed her eyes so the scouts wouldn't see her tear up.

The other sailor scouts quickly offered comfort to the distraught Sailor Moon.

"But if I've been a traitor to anyone it has been to the negaverse. I have been a loyal subj..."

The gardeners words were silenced as the officer struck him behind the head with a hard blow.

"Your words can't wash away your guilt. Take the prisoner away.".said Lt. Alexander with a snarl.

The guards dragged the limp body away. Before the officer left he apologized to the princess for what had just occurred but she found no comfort in his words. Neither did Sailor Moon is spite of the best efforts of her friends. Her sorrow began to ebb as a thought entered her mind, her head started to rise from her hands, and her eyes opened wide.

"Wait a second. That officer. I've seen him before.", Sailor Moon began to realize," In another dream. He's from the negaverse too."

The bedroom shattered and became ruins. The Sailor Scouts heard voices distinctly

" Obviously you're not as tired as I thought you were. Get those Sailor brats!"

"That's Lt. Alexander.", stated Sailor Venus.

"Run princess, run!", another voice pleaded with a scream

"Mr. Yagamo", Sailor Moon whispered to herself.

The Sailor Scouts ran throw the dream wall into the hallway. The could see an energy beam shooting out of Alexandrite's hand engulfing Mr.Yagamo who was prone on the floor and unable to resist the beam.

" Leave them alone!", screamed Yagamo through the pain.

" Be quiet! Once you take care of these brats nothing will stop the glory of the negaverse and we can invade the earth without resistance. Sailor Scouts prepare to meet your doom with my Dream Invader."

The legs and arms of Mr. Yagamo started to grow very long. His body started to curve inward.

"NO! I WON'T DO...!", Mr. Yagamo's voice faded out as his head became transparent.

Sailor Moon could only watch in horror as the man who had meant so much to her in her early life was transforming into the monster that had attacked earlier. As large as the monster was earlier now he was at mammoth proportions rivaling some of the buildings in her city. When the monster finished growing the officer smiled.

"Oh yes you will.",chuckled Alexandrite," You'll help destroy them just like you helped destroyed the moon kingdom.

Sailor Mars was the first to respond

"Mar's fire...IGNITE!"

"Mercury Bubbles...BLAST!"

"Jupiter Thunderbolt's...CRASH!"

"Venus Crescent Beam...SMASH!

Sailor Moon's mind was a whirlpool of confused thoughts. She stood back and watched as her friends began to throw their attacks at the monster-but it wasn't really a monster, it was Mr. Yagamo, her trusted advisor and friend!

"Stop! Don't hurt him!" Sailor Moon screamed.

"They can't stop Sailor Moon," stated Artemis, who stood near her. "If we don't destroy him, he'll destroy us."

As the attacks came nearer to the-monster, they fizzled out. Jupiter snarled as she tried to throw another electrical attack.

"I call upon all the forces of thunder and lightning to vanquish this monster. Jupiter Thunderbolt...Blast!"

Again, it fizzled out. The monster struck out one of its long arms, catching Jupiter's leg. It lifted her up high above its head and threw her to the ground. An audible cracking sound could be heard as Sailor Jupiter cried out and clutched her ribs.

"Jupiter, no!" Sailor Moon cried. Instinctively, she took off her tiara and threw it.

"Moon Tiara Magic!"

It spun towards the creature, gleaming brightly in the darkness. As it grew closer to its target, it slowed. It barely grazed the Dream Invader near its eye. Where it had touched, a crescent moon could be seen. The beast screamed loudly, and for a moment, Serena saw the beloved face of her mentor. It disappeared as the creature reached for the girl who had thrown the hurtful weapon. Venus threw herself at the immobile Scout to get her out of the way.

"He's still in there! Everyone, please, don't hurt him!" Sailor Moon shouted.

"I wouldn't be worried about that Sailor Moon. Only your attack is able to get to him!" Venus yelled. "You have to try again!"

"I can't!",Sailor Moon said

"You have to!",Artemis demanded.

She could see that her fellow scouts would not be able to survive against the Dream Invader much longer. He was too strong and he was in his element were he would be strongest. Sailor Moon's loyalty was being put to the ultimate test. Could she destroy one friend in order to save the 4 others? She wanted to save them all but how could she do that? No matter what choice she made someone she cared about was going to perish. Luna once told her that when her heart is pure she would know what to do. Seeking that wisdom Sailor Moon knew what she had to do as distasteful as it was. Thrusting her hand upward she waited for the imperial silver crystal to appear ready to say the words that would destroy the Dream Invader and unfortunately Mr. Yagamo as well. She waited but something unexpected happened. The crystal never materialized.

" What happened to it?",Sailor Moon asked.

She didn't have time to answer the question as a tentacle from the Dream Invader captured Sailor Moon and swept her upward. Her friends too stunned at first to react found themselves without the only person whose attack had succeeded thus far.

In her bedroom everyone heard the shrill scream from Serena.

"What's happening?"cried her mother to the doctor.

"...Crystal...is it...",Serena mumbled.

"I don't know.",admitted the doctor,"Hold on Serena. The ambulance is almost here. You'll be fine once we get you to the hospital."

"Can't you give her a sedative or something to calm her down?",demanded the father.

"No!That's the worst thing for her right now. What she needs is something to keep her vital signs up."

"But you said that she doesn't rest soon her body will shut down.",pointed out Mr. Tsukino.

"That's true but in our other cases we've learned that any attempts to calm down the patient through sedatives only causes more problems. While her energy level is going down it's only in slow increments if we try to 'calm her down' as you say her energy output will drop down and maybe out."

"Crystal... can't destroy."

Luna wasn't sure but she was almost certain that somehow Serena was talking about the imperial silver crystal. But for what purpose? If only she could see what's inside Serena's mind she thought to herself before she realized that she could. She had mind linked with Serena before when trying to restore the young girls memories. First cursing herself for not thinking of it sooner, Luna wondered how she could pull this off without the doctor, or her parents noticing.

The lights of red and white and the sounds of sirens wailing alerted the doctor to the fact that the ambulance had finally arrived. Leaning out over the windowsill of Serena's room she flagged the vehicle down and motioned for it's attendants to enter. Both parents and the doctor left the room momentarily which gave Luna the chance she needed.

With total concentration she started to link her mind with Serena's, attempting to see whatever it was that was causing her harm. She became alarmed when she saw all the sailor scouts together. Sailor Moon was being held hostage by some monster. Luna was even more surprised by the stunned response by the others. She saw the princess trying to talk to the monster.

"Please Mr. Yagamo. It's me, Princess Serena. I know you're still in there. Fight this. You can hear me I can sense it."

"Do something.",Luna implored.

The sailor scouts saw Luna as a giant image overhead. They wondered without speaking how she had managed to appear before them but also realized that she was right. They had to try and save Sailor Moon.

Sailor Mars was the first to take action. Pulling out a piece of sacred parchment she started casting her anti-evil spell. Her raven hair flapping about as if she were in a windstorm.

"I call upon the power of the planet Mars. Mar's fireball charge!"

The parchment began to glow and stiffen. With a great leap she planted the parchment right in the middle of the monsters forehead. The monster became rigid and unmoving but still held the leader of the sailor scout in its tentacles.

"Venus Crescent Beam...Smash!"

The beam of light shot forth from Sailor Venus, striking the monster with much stronger force, strong enough to force a recoil that released Sailor Moon from his grip. As she plummeted to the ground Sailor Mars ran to a spot underneath the falling girl, catching her unharmed.

"What's happening Sailor Moon?",the image of Luna demanded to know.

"I tried to use the crystal but it didn't appear. What should I do?"

Back in the bedroom Luna looked around and spotted Serena's school backpack. Inside she knew the crystal had been placed. Perhaps if she could get it to Serena she could use its power to destroy the monster.

" Hold on Sailor Moon. Help is on the way."

Luna jumped off the bed towards the backpack. Opening it up proved to be difficult because her paws did not work as well as human hands but she did manage to open the backpack up. She was just about to pull out the crystal when Serena's parents, the doctor and now two men dressed in white smocks carrying a gurney stepped into the room.

"No.",thought Luna,"Not now. Not when we're so close."

Luna jumped on the bed and turned around to try and stop the others from taking Serena. Arching her back she hissed and growled baring both her claws and teeth. One attendant tried to reach for the bed covers only to have Luna take a swipe with her paw.

"Luna? What are you doing?",stated a shocked Mrs. Tsukino.

Mr. Tsukino pulled Luna off the bed before the cat could do anything about it. Serena was about to be taken away and she couldn't prevent it from happening. Sailor Moon was waiting for the ginzuishou and Luna couldn't provide it.

Stopping her struggles she focused her mind on Serena. She had to let her know the situation even if it meant possibly being detected by the others.

"Sailor Moon, they're taking you to the hospital. I can't stop them. I'll figure something out. Hold on!"

Back in the dream world these were the words the Sailor Scouts did not want to hear. The Dream Invader was catching the scouts one by one as their powers became ineffective again. Even Artemis was unable to stave off the attack. As each scout was caught they were being engulfed by sparks which were draining the energy away. Sailor Moon took off the tiara again to throw it at the monster but this time the monster got her as well. The five Sailor Scouts were screaming in pain.

"You fought a valiant fight but it's over for you sailor brats. Soon you'll be nothing more than a bad dream to the negaverse.",gloated Alexandrite who started to laugh as he realized what he had said,

"A bad dream. That's a good one."

Alexandrite increased the beam that was controlling the Dream Invader. He would make sure the scouts did not escape this time.

Serena had been loaded into the ambulance which was pulling away from the house when she let out a blood curdling scream that got the attention of all who were in shouting distance. If she had not been strapped down to the gurney her thrashing would have thrown her off. The doctor put her stethoscope back on and listened to her heart.

"She's going into stage 3. Stand by on the paddles.", The doctor ordered to one of the Emergency Medical Technicians who rode with her in the ambulance

The EMT turned on a machine which the parents recognized. It was a called a defibulater a device to restart the heart if it had stopped. They wanted to ask what was going on but didn't because they knew that the doctor could tell them later, after she saved their daughter.

Luna also heard the scream. She had been chasing the ambulance ever since it pulled away. Running with the crystal in her mouth didn't make it any easier. Hearing the scream caused her to stop dropping the crystal.

"Hang on Serena, I'm coming!.",she cried out but then realized that there was no way she could catch the ambulance. She also realized that she would have more than a little difficulty trying to sneak into the hospital. She needed a plan and a disguise. The thought of needed a disguise gave her an idea. Picking the imperial silver crystal up again she turned around and headed back to the house.

Alexandrite stood triumphantly in front of the Dream Invader to look upward at his helpless victims. Artemis, Sailor Venus, and Jupiter had already collapsed within the creatures grasp while Sailor Mercury appeared ready to join them. Sailor Mar's valiantly kept fighting on despite being in the grip of the monster and Sailor Moon pleaded with it trying to reach the part of the monster who might still care for her.

From out of nowhere a rose came flying striking the hand of Alexandrite causing the beam to break. Instantly the Dream Invader began to reform into the figure of Mr. Yagamo. The Sailor Scouts fell to earth with the unconscious scouts hitting the ground with a sickening thud.

Alexandrite didn't need to see who this was, he'd been waiting for this arrival.

"Nice of you to drop by Tuxedo Mask.", said Alexandrite sarcastically.

"You have taken the most private area of humanity and bastardized it. The part where our true life dreams begin. I will not allow you to succeed."

Alexandrite standing above the rose crushed it with a stomp of his foot. Grinding it down to oblivion he wanted to send a message to the gallant warrior.

"My Dream Invader will destroy you just as easily as it has your friends.

Alexandrite never saw the figure flying through the air that tackled him.

"No! I won't let you do this anymore. I'll die first!",screamed Mr. Yagamo his fists pounding away on the new general of the negaverse.

Surprised by this sudden fury Alexandrite did not respond at first but when he finally did the differences was obvious. Being younger and stronger Alexandrite threw off the elderly man easily. He shot a energy bolt striking the man in the stomach sending him recoiling to the ground writhing in pain. Alexandrite stood over him snarling, angry that Mr. Yagamo had dared to attack him.

"We've got to help him.",Sailor Moon responded.

Mr. Yagamo turned his head to the girl, shook his head and pleaded,"No princess. Run away. Please!"

Sailor Moon got up to head towards Mr. Yagamo when Tuxedo Mask pulled her back by the arm.

"No Sailor Moon. We have to get the others to safety."

Alexandrite shot forth the energy beam to transform the unwilling Mr. Yagamo again. Soon he would become too powerful for them to stop. Sailor Moon reluctantly saw the wisdom of Tuxedo Mask's words but didn't know if they would get into the fog before the transformation would be complete.

Sailor Mercury thought the same thing but she had an idea to give them precious time. Struggling to get back on her feet she crossed her arms and said,"Mercury Bubbles...BLAST!"

With the last of her energy spent Sailor Mercury collapsed.

In the fog created by Mercury's bubbles the scouts could not be seen. Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars looked to see Tuxedo Mask half carrying-half dragging Sailor Jupiter and Artemis.

"Grab the others, we've got to get out of here.",he shouted.

Sailor Moon struggled to lift the petite Sailor Mercury while Sailor Mars had a slightly easier time with Sailor Venus. With great effort she found the strength to move forward. Tuxedo Mask continually looked back to make sure Sailor Moon was able to keep up. Mars who was stronger was able to keep up The bubbles was beginning to break apart and their protective cover would be no more. Tuxedo Mask seeing how close he was to the fog dashed in with Jupiter. Just as fast he dashed right back as Sailor Mars went into the fog with Venus to collect Sailors Mercury from Sailor Moon getting them to safety too. Unencumbered Sailor Moon was able to follow Tuxedo Mask into the fog to safety. The masked man stumbled as he laid down the scouts he carried besides the ones already there. Breathing heavily from exertion Tuxedo Mask, Sailor Moon, and Sailor Mars were unable to continue. He put his forefinger against his lips indicating that they all needed to be silent. A powerful voice booms all around them that came from Alexandrite

"You can't hide forever. I will find you and when I do I'll destroy you."

Outside the hospital in the darkness of the night a women with long dark hair crouched down behind some bushes going over the plan she had developed in her mind during her trek to the hospital. She looked down for a moment, checking the ID card which stated she was Dr. Luna. She was waiting for the opportune moment when she could sneak into the hospital to search for Serena.

The first part of her plan had gone of well. Going back into the house after giving up the chase for the ambulance she looked in Serena's backpack where she originally gotten the crystal and found as she suspected she would the Luna Pen.

Using the power of the pen she transformed herself into a human doctor so she could maneuver through the hospital without hopefully too many questions being raised. She grabbed the crystal, putting it in one pocket of the medical smock and the Luna pen in the other just in case she needed to make another transformation.

She felt around in the pocket for the crystal again, knowing that she had to somehow get it to Serena so she could destroy the forces of the negaverse once more.

Another ambulance could be heard coming to the hospital. Luna thought that this would be her best chance to get inside. As the whirling red and white lights could be seen Luna jumped out from behind the bushes and leaned again the side of the building where nobody could see her. The ambulance pulled around and backed up when she moved out of the shadows. The driver stopped the vehicle, getting out swiftly. Almost at the same time the back doors opened up and a gurney with a middle aged man in it. He looked uninjured but was making strange noises. Luna hoped that somehow this man had the same malady Serena showed. That way all she had to do was follow them into the hospital and to the area where the patients would be held.

She ran in attempting to look like she was a member of the ambulance crew. Able to work her way through the heavily trafficked hallway she almost caught up with the group she was following but they stepped into an elevator and Luna couldn't get to it in time to stop the doors from closing. Cursing herself for not being faster she pushed the up button so she could following them in the next trip. Luna looked upward to see where the elevator had stopped so she could have an idea where she needed to go.

The floor lights on the elevator stopped first on the 6th floor. Stopping there for a moment the lights continued to move up until it reached 14 where it stopped again. The lights then began to move down until they reached her floor and the doors open. Some people came out of the elevator dispersing in various directions. Luna waited until they were all out before she entered the elevator.

In the fog that was protecting them for the moment Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars and Tuxedo Mask continued to check on the condition of the three fallen scouts who were still unconscious. They weren't dead much to the relief of their leader but they could not survive another attack by the Dream Invader. There was nothing they could do except wait for them to become conscious again. Sailor Moon retreated to an area nearby where she could still be seen by the others. She sat down on the ground with her back to the others and drew her knees to her chest wrapping the legs at the knees with her arms in a fetal position.

Sailor Mars was the first to come over. She thought Sailor Moon was despondent over the fact that she was unable to stop the monster and that what happened to the others was her fault. While Sailor Mars had admittedly being hard on the girl from time to time in the past this was one instance where there was no fault on her part for what happened. Sailor Mars tried to express those thoughts in hushed whispers when Sailor Moon broke out of her depression long enough to say,"That's not it Mars. I mean I do feel bad about what happened to them but..."

The girl could go no farther with her thought. Tuxedo Mask came over to join the conversation. Sitting down like the others he said,"Well whatever your thinking about it'll have to wait. We have to think of a way to destroy that monster."

Sailor Moon's head snapped up when she heard the term 'monster'. For a moment she looked like she angry at Tuxedo Mask and wanted to say something but held back. She regained her composure before responding.

"He's no monster. I can sense the good in him. He can't help what he's doing. He's being controlled against his will. I have to help him."

"What?",responded Tuxedo Mask.

" Is your hair tied up too tight? That thing just tried to kill you and all of us too.",reproved Sailor Mars.

" He can't help what he's doing. He can no more help what he's doing...",insisted Sailor Moon before turning her head towards Tuxedo Mask,"...than you could when you tried to kill me."

Sailor Mars looked on with surprise. She turned to Tuxedo Mask who had his head bent down slightly. The fire brandishing scout could never imagine such a scenario happening but as Sailor Moon continued to speak she realized that it must have happened since Tuxedo Mask made no effort to rebuttal the charge. In fact his face expressed the pain he still felt over the incident.

" Remember in Queen Beryl's lair when she told you to take the imperial silver crystal from me? Even when you tried to destroy me I knew that it was not by your choice. If you could have fought that witches spell you would have. You were being controlled by Beryl just as Mr. Yagamo is being controlled now. I promised once that I would do whatever I had to so you'd be free and I kept that promise. He needs me now just like you did then. We've been fighting the wrong enemy. It's this Alexander who we've got to fight."

Tuxedo Mask simply nodded in his acceptance of the situation.

"So how do we get around your 'friend' long enough to get at Alexander?",inquired Sailor Mars

"If only I had the crystal it would be easier but first we will need a plan to break the spell he has over Mr. Yagamo."

The doors in the elevator opened up on the sixth floor allowing Luna to exit. On the outside she tried to appear relaxed as if she truly belonged there but on the inside she was more than a little nervous. She wasn't sure if Serena was would be on the floor or the other but she had to do check it out while remaining inconspicuous. She looked left then right as the hallway led in both directions. In front of her was a desk where a women was sitting down to fill out some paperwork. Luna needed to make a decision which way she should go before the women got suspicious

"Can I help you doctor?",inquired the women.

Luna became startled but recovered quickly. Because the women had addressed Luna by title she assumed that to mean that she didn't think anything was out of the ordinary by her appearance. Thinking it was a good chance to find out if Serena was on this floor or not, Luna spoke.

"Yes. There was a young girl that was just brought here a little while ago, Serena Tsukino. Can you direct me to where she is?"

The women checked through some papers on her desk. Luna sweated while she hoped that her ruse would work. It took a few seconds but the women found the information.

"Serena Tsukino. Yes, here she is. She's just been admitted to the isolation ward but the file I have don't show you as being her regular physican.",the women stated.

Luna knew she had to come up with an explanation and do it fast.

"Her regular physician is on vacation. I've been taking over her patients.",Luna lied.

Of course if the women checked the information she would learn that Luna was lying but she was ready to bolt at the first hint of trouble. If she ran Luna would look for the first chance to be out of view and use the Luna pen to change which would cause her to try another means of getting in.

The explanation seemed to satisfy the women behind the desk. She pointed the direction to the isolation ward before going back to her paperwork. Luna thanked the women and moved ahead.

Near the end of the hallway she could see a large room with a glass window with beds in rows of three each. While there were a few empty beds most were filled with people of various ages both male and female. Several doctors moved around the area. Some looking at charts that laid in front of the bed while others talked with each other. Luna wondered how she would find Serena in that mass.

Luna's question was answered when she saw the unmistakable figures of her parents. The father was on the right side of a bed and the mother sat on the left. Between them was a figure with blonde hair laying on her side. Luna knew it had to be Serena. Luna could do nothing while the parents were here because that would blow the cover she just established. Seeing a women's restroom Luna entered hoping to hide there until the parents left.

Four of the five sailor scouts along with Tuxedo Mask had tried to think up a plan to combat the Dream Invader so they could get around him to get at Alexadrite. Only Sailor Jupiter was still unconscious due to the collective damage she had taken from her multiple encounters with the Dream Invader.

Thus far every plan they came up with was shot down when they realized that the imperial silver crystal was needed. They put their trust in Luna knowing that she was trying to do something to get the crystal to them but until she was able they knew the group was still vulnerable.

"Look. We know that we can't do anything without the crystal so we better stop trying to think about how to destroy that thing and figure out what to do if we're discovered.",reasoned Sailor Venus.

Sailor Moon turned to Sailor Mars and asked,"But how did you get to use your anti-evil parchments when I couldn't make the crystal appear?"

Sailor Mars just shrugged her shoulders. Sailor Mercury offered a suggestion

"Do you keep some of your parchments with you at all times? I mean do you even sleep with them?"

"Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"I can't find my portable computer and normally I have it with me or within arms reach. I went to get it so I could do some analysis on the monster but when I looked for it the computer was nowhere to be seen. I remember that just before I fell asleep I laid the computer down so I wouldn't accidentally break it. It would appear that we can use our natural talents to a point but any devices must be in our possession for them to appear here. My computer, your parchment, the crystal."

"So if your theory is correct that means to use the crystal it must be in Sailor Moon's hands.",Sailor Venus surmised.

"That means our only hope is Luna.",added Sailor Moon.

Luna waited for what she approximated was ten minutes hoping that in that span the parents would leave the hospital allow Luna to attempt her plan.

Opening the door slowly she looked into the isolation area. To her dismay the parents were still there. Luna began to get frustrated. She was so close to Serena and she had the one thing that she was certain would cure her but it had to be done without anybody else's knowing about it or Sailor Moon's secret identity could be compromised.

A doctor came over to the Tsukino's. Putting her hand on Mrs. Tsukino's shoulder and began to say something. It was too far away and the glass between the isolation ward and the main hallway made any eavesdropping impossible. The Tsukino's looked down in sadness but nodded. Luna could then see the parents get up, turning around to the chairs and grab their jackets.

Luna closed the door again thankful they were leaving. She just hoped that there was enough time to do what she needed. She would will herself to wait five more minutes and parents or no she would make her attempt.

" You have failed the negaverse again.", Alexadrite in anger said to Mr. Yagamo.

" I told you that I'd never willingly help you or anybody else from the negaverse. I will continue to fight you in any way I can.",Mr. Yagamo replied in defiance.

In anger Alexandrite shot out a bolt of energy striking the old man before he could move out of it's way. Striking him in the stomach his pained reaction plus his legs collapsing under him showed how effective the bolt was. He tried hard to mute any reaction to the pain knowing that Princess Serena could hear what was going on. Alexandrite walked up to him seething.

"You insolent... Queen Beryl should have destroyed you for your traitorous actions against the negaverse. You have been given a second chance to make up for what you did yet you would still betray your own kind!"

Mr. Yagamo stubbornly got to his feet and made sure his feelings were clear on the matter to Alexandrite

" Given the choices I'd have preferred being destroyed than have betrayed Queen Serenity and Princess Serena."

Alexandrite bared his teeth in anger preparing to throw another bolt of energy in yet another attempt to break the spirit of the individual who dared to stand in the way of the negaverse when a new presence entered the dream world. Upon seeing the figure Alexandrite got down on his knees while Mr. Yagamo stubbornly stayed standing refusing to prostate himself as Alexandrite had.

" I see you are still having problems with him Alexandrite."

" Nothing I can't handle my lord. Get down on your knees and bow before your king.",demanded Alexandrite to the elderly man.

"He is no king of mine.",defied Mr. Yagamo.

"You are as stubborn as ever aren't you Yagamo or should I call you Surpentine.",said the figure calmly, matter of factly which made Mr. Yagamo glare in anger.

"Serpentine is dead. He died over a thousand years ago. Too bad I couldn't have taken you and your lackey with me Jedite."

In the fog the conversation could be heard quite clearly. They had heard everything that had been said. Mouths agape the Sailor Scouts could not believe that one of their old enemies had returned to haunt them.

"I thought we had gotten rid of that negasleaze for good.",Mars whispered.

Jedite chuckled evilly approaching the defiant individual.

"Your loyalty to the moon kingdom and Princess Serena is to be commended, even though it is misplaced. Don't worry though, you'll see who your friends truly are and why it would be in your best interest to come back to the negaforce.",offered Jedite.

" I know who my friends are and you are not one of them."

" Shut up you...",Alexandrite started to command raising his arms up to strike again.

"No Alexandrite! That's an order. The more you've hurt him the harder and less cooperative he's become. Serpentine has always been a reasonable individual. He'll listen to logic."

" Why should I believe anything you have to say?"

" It won't be my words that will convince you. It will be your own memories that you'll be reliving. The ones you refuse to acknowledge."

Jedite whispered something into Alexandrite's ear that nobody could hear. With a nod of his head and a wave of his hand he focused the energy beam on Mr. Yagamo's mind. Around them appeared an underground area where the only light was provided by torches. There were rooms with heavy steel bars in front of each one. In one cell sat Mr. Yagamo in the same clothes he wore when first incarcerated. Sitting down on his bed his elbows rested against his knees while the palms of his hands nestled against each side of jaw. Drawing a deep sigh he stood up, walking to the bars of his prison cell.

"I know you remember this Serpentine.",Jedite started his monologue," You sat in the jail with nobody coming to see you. Look at it. You were alone. You were a prisoner of our enemies. Where was Queen Serenity? Where was your precious princess when you needed her the most? "

"She was young and she was hurt. I will not blame her for what she did."

"She never came to see you."

"She's still my friend."

"She didn't want anything to do with you then and certainly she doesn't want anything to do with you now."

"That's not true!"

"She must be destroyed for her betrayal."

"No."

"She must be eliminated."

"I won't do it."

"She must die."

"NO!", shouted Mr. Yagamo at the top of his lungs.

Just then a sound could be heard from the image Mr. Yagamo was forced to look at. Looking up from his cell a tear welled up before running down his cheek.

"Please Princess, please trust me once more."

Between the shout of Mr. Yagamo's proclamation and the plea from his image that Sailor Moon had been haunted by she struggled with her emotions. She thought back to the few memories she had remembered between them. Now Jedite was attempting to poison his mind against her and the others. In his own way Sailor Moon realized that Mr. Yagamo had been going through as much pain as she had.

Once again Sailor Moon knew what she had to do. Standing up a glint of determination crossed her face which hid the fear that still resided inside. Sailor Moon turned to where the voices were coming from and appeared as if she was ready to face them. Sailor Mars, Venus, and Mercury surrounded her.

"You can't go out there now. We're defenseless.",Sailor Mercury said logically.

"We may be defenseless against Mr. Yagamo but that isn't who our enemy is anymore. If I can somehow trap this Alexandrite then I know Mr. Yagamo won't hurt us.",surmised Sailor Moon.

"But we need a plan or we will be no match if Alexandrite puts that Dream Invader on us again.",Sailor Venus countered.

"Perhaps there is a way for us to do this.",suggested Tuxedo Mask.

If the hard-line attitude of Mr. Yagmo bothered Jedite it didn't show in his face. He remained as confident as ever and spoke with an even colder demeanor.

"Oh yes, she will die. That is a certainty. Remember Serpentine, Alexandrite can control your actions and he will make sure you drain those silly little girls dry. The only thing you can do is make things easier for them and for you by cooperating. When they are gone and I'm officially the new leader of the negaverse I will be in a position to grant favors to those who have pleased me. If you cooperate with us I promise you the reward would be great. When we conquer earth you can settle anywhere you want and do what you wish. You will be waited on hand and foot. You'll lack for nothing. Only myself and Alexandrite would be above you in the chain of command and you will be part of negaforce lore forever. You can even spend all the days of your life working in a garden if that's what you want. If on the other hand you remain stubborn and uncooperative then after we have achieved victory I will hand you over to Alexandrite's not so tender mercies where I'm sure he'll make your life a living hell. He will cause you great pain every day for the rest of your life. You'll be forced to do his bidding. You'll be reduced to the lowest form of garbage in the negaverse. Now you seem like a smart man. The decision should actually be quite simple. A lifetime of pleasure versus a lifetime of torment. The decision is yours."

Luna emerged from her hiding space thankful to see Serena's parents gone. Preparing to enter the isolation ward Luna felt in the pocket of her medical smock for the imperial silver crystal. It was still there just as she had expected but touching it still brought confidence to the transformed feline.

Taking the six steps from where she had hid to the isolation ward Luna looked around there were several doctors both male and female throughout the area. Some were examining various patients while others talked to each other very intensely judging from their body language.

Luna could see Serena's bed two-thirds of the way down the room. Appearing to be casually observing each patient in their bed Luna worked her way the rows of beds to the young girl. At the foot of her bed Luna observed just how drawn and fatigued Serena's face looked. Though she was unconscious like the others Luna knew she was fighting for her life inside. Luna wished she could mind link with her now but there were too many people in the room and not enough of a diversion for her to make an attempt. Luna took a step between Serena's bed and a bed where a old women was lying down.

"Stop!',said a doctor in a voice just short of alarm.

Luna turned around and saw the same doctor who had taken Serena to the hospital in the first place. The doctor motioned Luna to back up from the bed. Luna thought her ruse had been discovered and was already looking for a way to get out.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to alarm you like that. She hasn't been restrained yet.",the doctor offered in explanation.

Luna tried not to look confused or alarmed by the doctor's statement. Why was Serena going to be tied to the bed? Were they doing it to all the patients? As if the doctor could read Luna's mind she explained.

"We have to restrain these patients now. Some of them in the final stages of this disease start to have delusions of being in a fight and their strength becomes immeasurable as they think they're fighting an enemy. Sometimes even the restraint aren't enough and we have to literally hold them down with our bodies until they calm down. We had one patient here who while fighting broke the arm of an orderly.

Luna listen in amazement. but it also gave her a great deal of frustration. Here she was no more than 3 feet away from the girl with the one thing that could save her and she was being stopped not by an enemy but by someone who wanted to do what Luna was trying to do. Help the girl. The doctor motioned to Luna to follow her to another area where she had seen her confer with other doctors. After a brief introduction the questions began to be asked of Luna.

"So where did you study?",asked one of the doctors.

"What is your field of expertise.",asked another.

Luna could do nothing except try to answer the questions without raising suspicions. She had to make the answers good enough to be believable yet vague enough not to give them a chance to suspect her. All the while she glanced over at the young girl.

For a moment there was total silence. Outside the fog two men waited for the decision of the third. Inside the fog the men and women who heard it all, held their breath for the answer. Would Mr. Yagamo give in to the offer given to him? Jedite and Alexandrite looked pleased when Mr. Yagamo's head slumped down. He shook his head from side to side and a tear came off his cheek and dropped to the ground.

"Have you made your decision?",inquired Jedite.

Indeed the gardener had. He eyes became fixed and a snarl came from the corner of his lips as he brought his head up to answer in a way that would leave no doubts where his loyalty stood. 

He spit on Jedite.

Without a word Alexandrite launched an all out assault on Mr. Yagamo causing him to scream in pain. His body twisted and turned in ways that his body was not normally designed to perform. Jedite wiped the spit away with his sleeves and looked down angrily on the one who dared to defy him.

"You've made your choice. After you've taken care of the sailor scouts you can rot for all I care."

"Hold it right there negatrash.",a feminine voice could be heard saying

The three turned their heads to see Sailor Moon coming out of the fog alone. The scene seemed similar to the one they had seen in the crystal ball when Queen Beryl was destroyed with one important difference. There was no crystal in her possession to destroy them. Jedite nodded to Alexandrite before disappearing leaving his servant to perform the dirty deed.

"I am Sailor Moon champion of justice and on behalf of the moon I will punish you! I will right all wrongs and triumph over evil, and that means you."

The mocking laughter of Alexandrite made Sailor Moon's blood boil. Reaching out with his hand he began Mr. Yagamo's transformation into the dreaded Dream Invader but this time she was ready

"Moon Tiara Magic!",she commanded as the disc was thrown out of her hands into the direction of Alexandrite.

Thinking she was attacking Mr. Yagamo, Alexandrite was surprised when he realized that the tiara throw was meant for him. He managed to avoid the throw by slipping by to the side. Sailor Moon waited for the tiara's return voyage hoping Alexandrite would try to capture the glowing disc so she could bind him with it but the general of the negaverse had done his homework on them too well to fall for the trap.

"Mars Fire...IGNITE!",commanded the voice of Sailor Mars behind him.

It was Sailor Mars with a fireball aimed directly at the sinister figure ready to fry him to cinders. Without a word the transforming Mr. Yagamo into the Dream Invader was completed. The first action of the monster was to aid the general by forming a barrier around him and take the blow of the fireball which had diminished in size and power.

"Mercury Bubbles...BLAST!",announced Sailor Mercury.

For a moment it looked like the fog of Mercury would protect them but the power of the Dream Invader was too strong. It picked up Sailor Mercury and she screamed in pain as the monster was draining her of all energy.

"Mercury!",cried out Serena in the hospital

The scream alerted the various doctors in the room who rushed to her bed. A few minutes earlier Serena had been placed in restraints tying her down to the bed. Two straps held her legs down just above and below the knees. Another strap around her midsection gave her just enough room to allow for normal breathing. The forth strap was loosely placed around the chest area where enough of a breath could be taken. The final two straps held Serena's wrists against the sides of the bed.

"The new girl. She's becoming delusional."said the doctor in charge.

Luna watched as some of the doctors rushed to Serena's bed. Like a precision unit they worked as one checking on her status. One of the doctors ran to a nearby machine, pulling it to the girl. Luna didn't know what she should do but since some of the doctors were only observing she felt it was best to mimic their actions

"Venus look out! Mars behind you! NO-O-O-O-O!"

The doctors near the bed double checked the restraints to make sure Serena could not break free of them. What the doctors thought was simply a delusion on the young girls part Luna could tell that from the sounds Serena was making that in reality that the battle with the monster had started up again and that they were losing.

Sailor Mars and Venus had been caught in the clutches of the Dream Invader as Sailor Mercury had been earlier. Sailor Moon knew that Sailor Jupiter would not be able to save them. She was still unconscious with Tuxedo Mask taking care of her as he had promised before Sailor Moon had left to face the monster.

Now Sailor Moon ducked, dodged, and continually angled her way around the arms of the Dream Invader. There was no time for her to reason with it. She had to act now to save her friends. Sliding down underneath the grasp of the monster Sailor Moon jumped with all her might to the tentacled arm where Sailor Mars was held. Pulling on the end of the tentacle Sailor Mars started to feel a little looseness in the monsters grip. Before the task could be completed another of the monsters arms grabbed Sailor Moon.

With a mighty scream Serena attempted to fight against the restraints that held her down. The squeaky strain of the straps testified to the effort being put out. With a snap she managed to break free from one of the hand restraints.

"She breaking free! Brace her down!",commanded the doctor in charge.

Luna, though in human form still possessed her natural cat quickness was the first to reach the freed arm. Grabbing the right arm Luna was surprised by the sudden surge in strength with one arm was pushing Luna up in little spurts before giving way. Luna was at Serena's side like she needed to be, now she had to hold onto the girl while still being able to hand her the crystal without the other doctors noticing.

In the clutches of the monster Sailor Moon had managed to free one of her arms and was pounding away on the tentacle in a valiant attempt to free the other. Sailor Mars, Venus, Mercury along with Artemis could not help her now. They were on the verge of unconsciousness and in danger of being destroyed if she didn't do something.

"Moon Tiara Magic!"

She threw it at point blank range at the Dream Invader and though before impact it the magic started to fade it caused enough of an impact for the body to react and loosen it's grip but not enough for the girl to escape. While the Dream Invader fought to regain control another voice was heard.

"Jupiter Thunder...CRASH!",

Able to sneak up from behind unnoticed Sailor Jupiter let loose with her thunder power hitting the monster squarely in the back. Unprepared he finally let go of his prey who fell to the ground. Sailor Moon was relieved that Sailor Jupiter was conscious although still in a weakened state. Then realizing that Tuxedo Mask was not with her Sailor Moon asked what happened.

"I don't know. One minute he was there and the next he started fading out. I think he was waking up."

Serena had succeeded in breaking free from all the restraints except those on her legs. The doctors in a frenzy put the weight of their entire bodies against Serena attempting to keep her immobile. Luna continued her participation in the attempt. With her body she kept one arm pinned while grabbing the imperial silver crystal in her medical smock. With the others kept busy Luna knew this would be her best chance. She pulled the crystal out of her pocket and put it into Serena's hand. Luna was not surprised when the hand instinctively wrapped around it.

"It's now or never Sailor Moon.",Luna thought to herself.

When the crystal wound up in her hands Sailor Moon was so startled that she almost dropped it. Regaining control she was quick to use the crystal.

"Moon Healing Activation!"

The monster first tried to hold the power of the crystal back but it's power was greater than his in spite of Alexandrite's attempts to add his power to keep the monster under his control. The power he had been using to bend the will of the Dream Invader rebounded off the creature striking a blow to it's oppressor. Where once the monster had stood in their way now the elderly Mr. Yagamo who collapsed to the ground seemingly all right considering what he'd been through.

Over Sailor Venus's shoulder, Sailor Moon noticed the once laughing face of the true traitor-Alexandrite who had spied on the Moon Kingdom and who had changed her beloved Mr. Yagamo. They had him and had no intention of letting him get away.

"Everyone! Aim your attacks at the negaverse sleaze!"

Venus got up and aimed her attack at him.

"Venus Crescent Beam...SMASH!"

"Mars Fire... IGNITE!"

"Jupiter Thunder...CRASH!"

The combined attacks stuck the captain. As he fell Sailor Moon was ready with the ginzuishou.

"Cosmic Moon Power!"

Alexandrite knew that this was the end of him but was determined to get in one final blow.

"If I can't defeat you, I can ruin your victory!",vowed Alexandrite.

A split second before the crystal attack could reach Alexandrite he threw a beam with all the energy he possessed directly at Sailor Moon. Alexandrite was destroyed in a flash but the negative energy was close to doing the same to Sailor Moon. There was no way for her to avoid it and her friends were to far away to help.

"AAAAAAIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEE!"cried out Serena still being held down by the bodies of the doctors. With all her energy available she started pushing the weight on her up slowly.

"Hold on everyone.",commanded the doctor in charge.

Without warning suddenly all motions and sound stopped from the young girl. The strength that was pushing the doctors upward ended and they felt Serena's arms give out. The doctor in charge for a moment was too surprised to move after the unexpected development. Putting the stethoscope on she listened to the young girls heart. Luna could do nothing and feared the worst.

"I'm too late. Curse it I wasn't fast enough. Oh please forgive me Sailor Moon.",Luna thought to herself.

Taking the imperial silver crystal out of her hand and placing it back in her medical smock Luna tried to hold back her tears. She had failed and now the moon princess was dead. Now the Sailor Scouts would be without their leader.

With Luna so lost in her thoughts she did not see the doctor finishing the quick exam. The doctor wiped the sweat from her brow and exhaled a deep breath.

"I don't know how but she's still with us and if I'm not mistaken actually sleeping."

Luna's head snapped to attention when she heard the news. She also noticed the doctor trying to find out from the other interns what treatment had been used when she arrived and to her surprise learned that there had been no time for any of the treatments they were trying.

Getting up from the bed she looked down on Serena and stated,"That is one tough little girl there... and a very lucky one too."

Luna looked on and thanked the heavens above for this miracle.

Sailor Moon had braced for the impact of Alexandrites attack. Letting out a scream as the energy had reached her she waited for the pain that it would cause. After a terrifying moment she realized she was not in pain. Was she dead? If she was dead who's scream of pain could she still hear? There was a white aura that surrounded her that faded away to reveal the figure of Mr. Yagamo. Somehow he had transformed himself into the Dream Invader one more time to provide a wall between her and the attack. Now becoming human again Sailor Moon caught his battered and bloody figure.

The future king could only look on in the crystal as he saw the Sailor Scouts in their victory. Smashing the crystal with his hands he stood alone in the darkness with his thoughts.

"Alexandite, to the end you were a loyal servant to me. Even when you saw that you were defeated you tried to strike a blow for the negaverse cause. I will not forget your sacrifice and when I become king what you did today will become part of negaverse lore."

The other Sailor Scouts could do nothing but watch as Sailor Moon went down on her knees beside the fallen Mr. Yagamo. Energy could be seen draining out of his body in small whisps of smoke. Some wisps of energy flowed into the bodies of the other Sailor Scouts who could feel themselves healing. All of the other energy whisps of smoke flowed upward into the sky but one which entered Sailor Moon. With her strength back she was back to normal but all that allowed her to do at the moment was to cry harder and hold onto Mr. Yagamo's right hand harder. With his left hand Mr. Yagamo rested it against the princess cheek. Through her tears and sobs she could barely hear him speak.

"I am so sorry for everything princess. Please forgive me."

Sailor Moon shook her head and could only silent mouth out her sorrow.

"Do not be afraid princess, you had to save your friends."

"But I've got to save you too.",Sailor Moon final choked out.

Looking down at his midsection where his hand tried to hold the energy inside he knew that he couldn't comply with Sailor Moon's wishes.

"It's too late for that.",he told her," When I had heard of Queen Beryl's demise I thought the time had finally come for me to enter your life again. I was wrong. There are still members around including those who could control me."

Trying to break the sorrow he could see in Sailor Moon's eyes Mr. Yagamo quipped," I see you finally learned how to throw a frizbee."

It provided a short but mirthless laugh out of Sailor Moon.

"How I had hoped to be part of your life again. I'm sorry that I won't have the opportunity to see you grow up to be the beautiful women I know you're going to become. To see you play, to hear you laugh, to just be with you. But it wasn't meant to be."

The Sailor Scouts moved to be next to Mr. Yagamo. As they sat on their knees he looked at each one.

"You girls are truly her friends. Only a friend would have helped her the way you have. I need to ask a favor of you. Please, it's important. Honor a dying mans request. Take care of her when I'm gone. Protect her because she hold the key to the future of the universe. I know that sometimes she can be difficult to deal with and can even be stubborn but her heart is good, like all of you. Promise me please."

The Sailor Scouts nodded silently at the man's request. Laying his hands in Sailor Moon's he looked up at her.

"Princess, these girls will take care of you when I'm gone. Be good to them like you've always been to me. I have no doubt that they could teach you many things if you are just willing to listen. I just pray you don't forget about me"

"If only I could remember everything about you, about us. I only remember two things about you right now."

"Those weren't your memories. They are mine. In this world my memories can come alive as if they were still real. If you want though I can share what I still remember with you."

Sailor Moon nodded as the energy whisps escaping were slowing down. With great effort Mr. Yagamo placed his hands against the sides of her face and in that instant memories began to flood her mind. Memories of the two of them. Memories of the good times they shared in the moon kingdom. She could see visions of the two playing in the garden when she was a little girl, moments of birthdays they shared, his attempts at teaching her the craft he had perfected but which she could never do as well, and special moments when the two of them would take long walks around the palace grounds where she would confide in him her thoughts, dreams, and fears, things so personal she couldn't even tell her mother or Luna and he would always listen and somehow always knowing how to respond.

The whisps of energy had stopped coming out of his body. Holding the princesses hands in his own he laid them on his chest. Looking deep in her eyes he spoke one last time.

" I will miss you, but at least I have seen you one last time."

Sailor Moon could feel his grip start to weaken, his body began to slump backwards. She laid her head across his chest and cried with all her might. The Sailor Scouts put their hands or arms around Sailor Moon to give her comfort. As he became still an glowing aura began to engulf them. Sailor Moon felt Mr. Yagamo disappearing in her arms as she found herself pleading for him not to go, then as she looked up at the other Sailor Scouts they were starting to become fuzzy to her eyes. The Sailor Scouts faded out as everything started to go black. Sailor Moon closed her eyes still crying and when she opened them again she was in a bed, among a series of beds with other people in them and a dark haired women looking down on her with eyes that looked almost familiar.

"Are you all right Serena?",the women inquired.

The voice sounded like Luna. Serena cocked her head to the side unsure if she should say anything or if this was simply another dream she was in.

"It's me. Luna. Are you all right?",finally answering the girls unspoken question.

Tears began to swell up in the young girls eyes as she spoke.

"He's gone Luna. Mr. Yagamo, he's...gone"

That was the news Luna had hoped to hear but the way Serena had spoken indicated that the news was not meant to be joyful. Someday she would have to ask Serena exactly what happened that night but for now Luna was just glad to have her back and to have the nightmare over. Luna called the doctor in charge over announcing that the fact that Serena was awake. The doctor warmly smiled at the girl and asked how she felt.

"Tired. Very tired.",Serena answered. Then after licking her parched lips added,"and thirsty, and hungry."

Luna smiled but held back from laughing. Serena was returning to normal. Soon she would be the same girl who from time to time would aggravate Luna, but after what had happened she wouldn't have things be any other way. Luna quietly slipped out of the isolation room, just as she started walking down the hall Luna turned her head and gave Serena a knowing wink before exiting.

For the next few days in newspapers, magazines, and on television, the topic of discussion was the mysterious disease that had panicked Tokyo, yet had now run it's course. As the Sailor Scouts in their everyday roles walked home from school they passed an electronics' store with several television sets on broadcasting the news. One anchor was finishing their report.

"The mystery of the unknown illness will keep scientists and disease experts busy for years to come examining the phenomenon. So far nobody knows how it came into existence, how it was spread, ultimately how it stopped plaguing the citizens of Tokyo, and most of all if it could ever plague out town again."

Serena turned away not able to watch anymore. She clutched her books closer to her chest wishing that Mr. Yagamo could somehow magically appear to hold and reassure her. There was so much she wanted to ask him, so many pearls of wisdom that she wanted to learn from him. Though her friends could only see her back they knew what she was thinking about yet all attempts to keep her so busy that she wouldn't have time to reflect on what they've gone through had failed. Now the televised reports seemed to make the situation worse.

"Hey Serena, we're near the arcade, how about a few video games, my treat.",Suggested Lita almost out of desperation.

"Or how about some shopping? I hear there's a sale at the mall.",added Ami.

Serena looked at her friends and realized what Mr. Yagamo said was true. They were her friends, they were good friends, they were her best friends. There were things they could teach her but for now all she wanted to do was be by herself for she was still grieving the lose of her friend. She forced herself to give them a smile trying to make them thinks she was feeling better than she really was.

"Look, I know what you're trying to do and I really appreciate it. I just... I just want to be alone for a while all right?"

Her friends looked among themselves trying to figure out a way to stop her from leaving but none knew how.

"I'll see you tomorrow.",Serena said while waving her hand.

She started to leave but a hand was put on her shoulder and she heard a familiar voice saying," If you need to talk, later I mean. Give us a call on the communicator ok?"

"Thanks Rei. I might just take you up on that.",Serena said weakly as she closed her eyes.

As she walked home her steps were slower than normal. She was a little tired physically but she was still totally drained emotionally. Her tears and thoughts were about what had transpired over the last few days. Of having found what she first thought was an enemy only to learn that he was a friend ,only to lose him again. It just didn't seem fair.

She turned the corner to the street where she lived and thought she saw a ghost, or that her mind was playing tricks on her. A figure was leaning against the driver's door of a car which was parked by the curb looking at her with a smile.

It couldn't be she thought to herself. She saw him disappear with her own eyes.

"Hello Princess.",spoke Mr. Yagamo.

Serena took one step forward slowly, when the figure stayed there the next step was faster, by the third she had dropped her books and ran towards him as fast as she could. He opened his arms to receive her as she threw her arms around Mr. Yagamo. This was no ghost, no figment of her imagination. He was here and still alive, she could feel his arms wrap around her as she cried tears of joy.

"But how... why... I mean I saw you...",Serena rambled trying to say what was in her heart but the words couldn't come out.

"I know, I know. I'd like to think that it was your feelings for me that gave me the energy needed to survive but most likely it was the fact that you were having a nightmare. You see that is how I stay alive and get my energy, through the nightmares of others. I have the ability to know when somebody is having a nightmare and in some cases as you have seen I can even be the cause of them. The worse the nightmare the more energy I'm able to get out of it. Nightmares where you see a loved one dying is perhaps one of the powerful of all and when you cried for me I could feel energy start to flow from you through me one more time but I was unable to tell you at that moment."

As the two continued to embrace Serena could feel Mr. Yagamo's hand patting her head then stroking down her golden hair. She didn't understand everything he was telling her but that didn't matter. He was here, still alive and the two would be together again. Things would be like they use to be.

"I just had to see you again so you'll know I'm all right and to say... good-bye."

"Goodbye?",repeated Serena who loosened her grip to look the man in the eye curiously.

"I'm leaving. I have to go somewhere that the negaverse can't misuse my... talents against you. I nearly destroyed you once and I will not allow that to happen."

"If the negaverse comes back we'll fight them again.", she vowed holding him tighter.

"No princess, now is not the time. I have to leave before I hurt you."

"You're leaving is hurting me! I mean you say you don't want to hurt me and yet by leaving you are."

"Oh princess, please understand. This is not something I enjoy doing either but sometimes a person will do something that seems hurtful and it will make no sense why they are doing it. It is because they know that if they don't a greater hurt will befall the person they're trying to protect. It may not make any sense to the person who is being hurt but it is the truth. Someday I hope you'll understand."

Holding her in his arms he knew that Serena thought the remarks he just made had to deal with the two of them but in the heart of Yoshi Yogamo he knew he was speaking of something that was going to happen in her future but he couldn't allow the young girl to know is what that held. He would let her experience some happiness before then. This was the greatest difficulty in being what he was and possessing the talent he did. Sometimes he would have his own dreams and what the future would hold for the person he was dreaming about.

"My poor princess.",he thought to himself,"You will be going through so much soon. You'll be having your love restored with Prince Darien only to have it shattered again. I wish I could stay to help you through this but I can't. If your friends are as worthy as I think they are you'll be fine but I wish there was some way I could take away the pain you're going to feel. Growing up is hard enough as it is, why must you be the one saddled with the burden you have little one. You should be allowed to play with your friends, have fun, do the things that make you so happy, not risking your life for humanity. "

As the thoughts came to him Mr. Yagamo found himself holding onto the young girl more intently. The girl who would always have a special place in his heart. The one who taught him not by word but example the meaning of the words caring and love. No matter what happened to him, the girl he was embracing would not be forgotten even if he lived another thousand years.

"Can't you at least stay for the Cherry Blossom Festival tomorrow? Please?",pleaded Serena.

"I wish I could but every moment I'm here puts you in great danger.",Mr. Yagamo answered with a heavy heart.

Serena held onto Mr. Yagamo trying to burn this moment into her mind forever. She never wanted to forget what this man meant to her ever again. It was Mr. Yagamo who loosened his hug first and gently had Serena do the same. He gave her a warm smile holding his hands against each side of her face.

"Well, I've got to go now.",stated Mr. Yagamo.

"Will I ever see you again?",asked Serena.

There was a long pause before Mr. Yagamo gave his response.

"I don't know. Who could know. Maybe someday... in a dream perhaps...",he let his words trail off.

Serena watched as he reached into his jacket and pulled out two roses with a piece of crabgrass wrapped around the two stems holding them together.

"A little something to remember me by."

She held the gift in her hands as Mr. Yagamo opened his car door and entered.

" Just remember princess that so long as I am in your mind and in your heart I won't really be gone and someday", he stopped to shrug his shoulder,"who knows."

With a roar the engine came to life. Before he left Mr. Yagamo gave one final piece of advice.

"Oh, one more thing Serena. Tell Luna that she better take good care of you or else I'll put those dogs back in her dreams again."

Serena first laughed then could only watch as Mr. Yagamo drove away. While her heart was happy that he was all right it was also saddened that he had to leave. She looked at the gift he had given her. The roses were beautiful in their full bloom yet they were being detracting from her eyes by the crabgrass tying them together. Carefully she freed the roses by removing the crabgrass. Throwing it away the beauty of the roses could be fully appreciated, just like she realized that her relationship with Mr. Yagamo could now be fully appreciated.

Serena went back to pick up the books she had dropped. By the time she had done so the car was gone. Placing the roses on top of her books Serena realized that she would treasure what the man had meant to her the rest of her life and she would hope that someday he would return. Would it happen? She remembered what Mr. Yagamo had just told her.

" Who knows."

THE END 


End file.
